Bishop †Joe's Blog

Per se, as opposed to per alia

2011-10-13T06:16:00.000-06:00

The first and major formal difference between philosophy and theology is found in their principles, that is, starting points. The presuppositions of the philosopher, that to which his or her discussions and arguments are ultimately driven back, are in the public domain. They are things that everyone can know upon reflection; they are where disagreement between us must come to an end. These principles are not themselves the products of proof— which does not of course mean that they are immune to rational analysis and inquiry— and thus they are said to be known by by itself; without consideration of extraneous factors.

Matthew 13: 24 - 30

2011-07-17T07:07:00.000-06:00

Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.
And the servants of the householder came and said to him, `Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?' He said to them, `An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, `Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he said, `No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'
****
A seminary professor claims that if we don't learn some mysterious techniques of spiritual warfare, Satan (weed in the parable) will eat us for breakfast! Is that true? ... that is the product of weak theology, and a careless handling of Scripture. This parable concerns the ability of one to channel energy (prana - chi - holy spirit) which radiates from the Source we call God. The purpose of this channeled energy is to either improve self or another by removing blockages or instilling the sacred energy which pulsates from the Source of God. With faith (intent) or technique we may send this energy to the past, present, or future. Hands-on healers who are effective in healing have brain waves at 7.8 Hz - the same as the earth's pulse beat. Their brain waves are in sync with the earth's at the time the healing is performed. Another aspect of this parable is the ability of one in third dimension to heal one-self by that which triggers a leap in faith.

Greetings from His Grace, Mar Ignatius (Christopher) of New York

2011-06-10T19:01:00.008-06:00

Dear Bishop +Joe,

I have noticed your blog and some other works and activities of yours, and have always gotten a very positive impression of how you radiate the light of Christ in a very calm and gentle way.

I am a Bishop in the Gnostic and Catholic Apostolic lineages of French esotericist +Robert Ambelain, living in NYC (born and raised here as well). I am a Martinist as well as a regular Mason in the State of New York (also 32nd degree AASR).

I thought you might enjoy this section of a book published by the great Alan Watts in 1953 (!) in which he discusses in a very advanced manner certain esoteric dimensions of doctrines concerning the Blessed Mother of Jesus Christ.

I look forward to obtaining your book "The Spirit of Holiness".

I have lately been inspired to try to put together a modern and workable version of the Syrio-Jacobite Antiochene Liturgy which would highlight the gnosis of the ancient Eastern Churches and be useful for small independent temples and chapels. I would be interested in your thoughts on this as I think you are of Malankara heritage?

I would be interested in further fraternal and spiritual exchange and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely in the Light of Christ and Holy Sophia,

Mar Ignatius Christopher (Father Chris)

The Ark of the Covenant

2011-04-10T06:06:00.006-06:00

The Egyptian period referred to by most historians, may well have started in the 18th dynasty (1352- 1336 B.C) of Amenhotep IV, better known as Akhenaten, the name he later adopted. Akhenaten reigned for nearly 18 years, but he truly was responsible for a revolution in old Egypt. The Egyptians at the time worshipped a whole pantheon of deities, but Akhenaten threw them all out and taught the Egyptians to only worship one God, the god of the solar disc, the Aten. Akhenaten lived in the great religious capital of Egypt, Thebes. He ordered the destruction of all the temples and statues of the pantheon of neters (deities), including the most popular neter at the time, Amun. A strong opposition rose up against Akhenaten and eventually he had to flee from Thebes, along with his wife and a host of followers. He founded a new city outside Thebes named Akhetaten, the horizon of Aten; the present day name of this city is El-Amarna. Akehenaten single-handedly reformed the Egyptian religious culture from polytheism to monotheism. This is the first time in recorded history that the concept of one god, monotheism, was introduced. Many historians now believe that Moses, who led the Israelites out of Egypt, and Akhenaten, who had to leave Thebes, are one and the same person. The stories are identical. One of the first to suggest this similarity was Sigmund Freud. Freud is normally only associated with his work on psychoanalysis, but he also had a great interest in the Egyptian culture, and in his final book, ‘Moses and Monotheism’, he wrote about the alleged connection between Moses and Akhenaten. There are a few very coincidental facts here that may hint in this direction. Suppose Moses himself is indeed the author of the book Exodus that describes the exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt. Now Howard Middleton-Jones claims to have found the hiding place of the Ark of the Covenant, that is the Ark that contains the Ten Commandments that were given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai. Middleton-Jones says he has found convincing clues in the book of Exodus that describe the construction of the Ark, but in fact are descriptions of the Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid where the Ark can allegedly be found. Suppose Middleton-Jones is right and Moses indeed buried the Ark in the Great Pyramid. It means that he must have been involved in the construction of the Great Pyramid too. Another clue that links Moses to the Great Pyramid is the fact that the reference point on Peter Lemesurier’s pyramid timeline that demarcates the Exodus of Moses out of Egypt, coincides with a prominent place in the Great Pyramid, the base of the ascending path that leads to the King’s and Queen’s chamber.

Could it be that Akhenaten \ Moses was just bringing the ‘Law of One’ to Earth?

Temple of Seti

2011-04-04T05:05:00.001-06:00

If you’re not convinced that highly civilized cultures pre-dated our current
civilization, just have a look at these hieroglyphs that were found on the Egyptian
temple wall at Abydos in the Temple of Seti I. It doesn’t take much imagination to see from left to right a helicopter, a submarine, a UFO, and an airplane. Now what do we really know about the ancient Egyptians?

A Natural, Universal Phenomenon!

2011-02-26T05:05:00.001-07:00

To a thinker who realizes the basic reason behind all being, time is a natural unfoldment of life, and therefore, best expressed as the law of growth, based upon the principle of seeding and harvest in every phase of life. Seeing that it is a natural phenomenon, its relationship will have to be defined logically so that its effect will be discernible in the affairs of one. To digress for a moment from the actuality of time as a calendar and systematic principle of mathematical deduction, we must first establish time as a natural and universal phenomenon, and then bring it down to a practical and workable basis as applied to the affairs of man and especially along business lines. When you, Mr(s). XYZ, fully realize the quality and potency of time in your business affairs, you will have control of a
power so vast as to be beyond your wildest dreams. When you look around and observe the uncompleted plans of people of your or previous generations: business programs that never work out as outlined, leaving much unfinished and unsuccessful business despite most detailed agendas and financial backing, you wonder how your planning and time could be so far out. No wonder Robbie Burns said, "The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley." A businessperson should be able to plan his business agenda with mathematical and systematic certainty. The reason one cannot do so lies in the fact that he/she only recognizes the quantity principle of time and not the quality. A person knows how much time he/she has over which to measure his efforts for the year, but disregards the admonition, "To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heavens," (Ecclesiastes 3:1), a time to sow seeds in every phase of endeavour.

Greatest Gift, Time!

2011-02-19T05:05:00.001-07:00

In todays times, the greatest age of science, system, and specific detail, where the completion of contracts embracing millions of dollars is so vital, where the successful completion of national programs involves national pride and perhaps future security, it is of paramount necessity that the greatest of all mysteries be solved: a person's greatest investment of all time, and that is TIME itself. Have you ever stopped long enough to study time in all its ramifications? It is a most profound, yet satisfying, study and reveals practically all the answers to life, especially the specific problems of the business person. There is an ancient passage so often quoted without logical translation, as follows: "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. . . a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted." (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2) There is only one way to understand anything and that is to go back to the basic law of cause and effect. One must understand cause before one can logically discuss effect.

An answering Oracle Wonder

2011-01-17T06:06:00.001-07:00

From a simple external and physical point of view, the tâmrapothi is a small book-like object consisting of fifty-four copper plates (~ 3" x 8"). When one goes there, and thinks about any question or puts the question written on a paper on the tâmrapothi, the answers to the questions are temporarily indited on its pages. The thinking process or putting the paper-containing-questions is started after a short ritual (by the Priest who operates the pothi) which takes about half-a-minute. The answers are indited instantaneously and after the book is closed, they all disappear. The answers are read by the Priest who operates the pothi; but on a formal request one can see the letters by himself or herself. The answers come in the form of ancient old-styled prose, and the Priest interpretes them and explains after reading the prose aloud. As the letters/scripts are very small and the inditations are not too strong, it is usually read using a magnifying glass (lens). It is normal that one has questions and at times seeks some timely solution. The tâmrapothi at Kakatpur is a rare phenomenon, to the astonishment of many strictly scientific-minds, which serves the people having some needs. The barrier of language is nothing but a human-limitation. But for this divine-device, the language is no limitation. One can think the questions or write it in any language. However, the answers on this particular tâmrapothi comes only in Oriya language. You got to have a translator (from Oriya to your language). There is another pothi , made up of different metal, which can receive and give answer in various other languages. Basically, Tâmrapothi is a device which reads your thought-process to get the question you want to ask, and then provides answers to your questions on blank metallic plates. The answers are indited only temporarily, and as soon as you close the the tâmrapothi, plates become blank again. Strange are the ways of the divine, which at times surpasses the human understanding to confirm the fact that, there is something beyond what we have perceived so far or what we can perceive. It is as foolishness as to reject a fact out of prejudice as to accept certain things blindly. Accepting blindly is the characteristic of a gullible mind; at the same time rejecting facts because of limited experience, knowledge, exposure, and prejudice is a strong indication of "lack of imagination, vision, and understanding".

Palayoor & St.Thomas

2011-01-16T21:09:00.002-07:00

This is the oldest Church in India and one of the seven founded by St Thomas, the Apostle, in 52 AD. The Church is little away from Guruvayur. A silver statue of St Thomas on the roof and charming stone lamps are noteworthy. Each Tuesday a Novena and Mass are held in honor of St Thomas. A boat is moored in a pond in commemoration of St Thomas’ arrival at Palayur. St. Thomas was proclaimed 'The Apostle of India' by the Holy See. His skeleton remains were brought to India in 1953 by Cardinal Tisserant. Furthermore, a document called ‘Grandavariola’ kept by a local Brahmin family (who had moved out from Palayur during the preaching ) testifies to the date of the gospel work of St. Thomas. The document states: "Kali year 3153 (52 AD) the foreigner Thomas Sanyasi came to our village (gramam) preached there and therby causing…" In these days when one hears so much about Hinduising christians in India, an investigation into the origins and development of the more than nineteen centuries old christian community and church of Palayoor in the Archdiocese of Trichur, located in the heartland of Kerala, has added significance. It is doubtful whether there are many places in the whole world which could claim a similar continuous christian presence for well-nigh two millennia. Any attempt to understand Palayur or its church, for that matter every attempt to understand the story of the St. Thomas Christians - their history, their liturgy, their spirituality, their art and architecture, their culture and society, their growth, development, progress, dispersion and spread - must begin with a study of the geography and history of Kerala and her ways. Discoveries and advances in the fields of anthropology, archaeology, numismatics, demography, place-names, family names, personal names, Indian Ocean and inland waterways studies,and studies on roads, cartography, folklore, art, architecture, literature, culture.....have all contributed to a better understanding and greater credibility of the St. Thomas event at Palayur. PALAYUR in the heartland of KERALA Recently the National Geographic selected 50 Places of a Lifetime which included only two places in India : Kerala and the Taj Mahal. This past Christmas the prime minister of India A. B. Vajpaye (born on Christmas day 1926) spent the whole of Christmas week resting and holidaying in Kerala, enjoying the sights and sounds enthusiastically recommended by the National Geographic. Kerala is a land of rivers and backwaters - forty-four rivers (41 west-flowing and 3 east-flowing} criss-crossing Kerala. The backwater cruises along the coastal lagoons mesmerize the travellers with the tranquilizing lullaby of nature. Six of the seven churches founded by the Apostle are very near the Arabian sea or the backwater system. Palayur was connected from the first century onwards even upto this day to other ancient trade centres of Kerala, especially Muziris, by rivers and backwaters. The river and backwater system in the erstwhile Cochin State opens out into the sea at Chettuwaye, Cranganur and Cochin with the three Thomas churches at Palayur, Kodungallur, and Parur connected together by this system. People from far off lands have found their way to Kerala and to Palayur since ancient times. The coast was familiar country to the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Arabs and the Chinese long before Vasco da Gama arrived in 1498 A.D. References to Kerala and the Malabar Coast harbours and their exports aboud in Pliny the Elder (23-79 A.D.), the Periplus (90 A.D.), etc. Palayur’s prosperity in the First century A.D. and how it attracted foreigners is evident from the treasure-trove discovered near Palayur at Eyyal in 1945 containing large numbers of 1st Century B.C. / A.D. ROMAN COINS both gold and silver including those of Augustus, Tiberius, Nero & c. Another hoard found at Parur in 1984 also had similar content. The Palayur - Guruvayur - Kodungallur - Parur geological plate has been described as the largest and most intact geological plate by the concerned Government departments, making it necessary to look for the oldest continuous population centres of Kerala in its vicinity. Demographic reverse projection would indicate that the population of the whole of Kerala was at the most one or two lakhs in the first century, and as such if the Apostle’s efforts were all that successful as tradition would have it, the vast majority of Kerala’s and Palayur’s 1st century population must have accepted ‘the religion of grace’ preached by St. Thomas. PALAYUR: One of Three Extant Churches of Apostolic Origin Nothing much remains of the churches established by St. Thomas at Kodungallur, Chayal / Nilakkal, or Quilon. The Niranam cross was reerected by the Saint but the Kokkamangalam Cross thrown into the backwaters was re-erected by a local christian at Pallippuram. Hence only three of the original seven St.Thomas churches viz Parur in the Syro-Malabar Archdiocese of Ernakulam, Palayur in the Syro-Malabar Archdiocese of Trichur, and Niranam under the Orthodox Syrian Church (Devalokam Aramana) could claim a continuous existence from the time of their establishment by the Apostle in the middle of the first century after Christ. Origins of the Christian Community at Palayur Palayoor had its origin as a christian centre from the time of the preaching of St. Thomas the Apostle of Christ at Palayoor, early in the second half of the first century A.D. The Apostle’s visit and activities are thus described by the author of the Ramban Song: “........................................................., he travelled to the north, And thus in the space of a fortnight he reached the village of Palur, In those parts also he preached the religion for a year. During that time, He baptised one thousand and fifty persons.” Planting of the Cross After baptising the people of Palayoor the Apostle also made sure that they were properly trained in matters liturgical. To that end “..................................................................................Thereafter, In order that they all might perform all the rites of worship, There he set up a Cross of beautiful form.” The Thomas Event at Palayoor in Kerala Tradition Many other details of the work of St. Thomas at Palayoor are available from Kerala tradition and folklore and in works like ‘Ancient Wedding Songs’. The following is a typical version of what happened at Palayoor during the first encounter of the Apostle with the local people, as universally attested to in Kerala tradition: “When Thomas came to the great Brahmin centre of Palayur, a leading Brahmin Gramam among the 64, he came across some Brahmins doing the Pithru Yajna or Pooja to the manes or ghosts of deceased ancestors. They were throwing water into the air (Tharpanam) while reciting manthras. The Apostle learned from them the meaning of this ritual and remarked: ‘If your perfor-mance is acceptable to the gods they could keep the water suspended in the air without allowing it to fall doagain and again’. “The Brahmins said that this was unthinkable as it was opposed to the laws of nature. Then Thomas asserted that the One true God he worshipped could do it, and he proceeded to perform a miracle on condition that the Brahmins accept his faith if he is successful. The Apostle, invoking the Holy Trinity, made the sign of the Cross and threw a handful of water up into the sky. After reaching a particular height the water stood still in the air, the particles glittering like diamonds. Looking down the Brahmins could see the cavity made by the removal of the water still there in the pond. Most of the witnesses were baptised on the spot. However those Brahmins who did not accept the faith called the place ‘Shapa Kadu’ or Cursed Place and left the place immediately promising to take the next bath only at Vembanattu, unpolluted by the new faith. Even today, true to the oath taken by their ancestors, the Brahmins do not eat or drink in the vicinity of Palayur or Chowghat (Shapa Kadu).” Place Names The Ramban Song as we have it today was recorded in its present form from memory or from some earlier narrative only after the coming of the Portuguese. But there are many other local traditions relating to the arrival and preaching of St. Thomas at Palayur, including very strong and persistent beliefs about the origins of the names of the places around Palayur - most of them related to the mission of the apostle there. “An important place-name connected with the labours of the Saint is Chowghat. It figures in ‘Kerala Ulpathy’ or the ‘Origin of Kerala’ as Palayoor. The common tradition of Malabar associates the change of name with a miracle. It is commonly believed that, as a consequence of this miracle, several Nambudhiris embraced Christianity, and if we may rely on the tradition, which as I shall show, is supported by outstanding facts, their temple was consecrated for Christian worship. A number of Nambudhiris who refused to change their religion left the place. They cursed the place calling it Chapakatt (which in Tamil would mean) the cursed forest. The place has ever since retained the name, though it has been slightly modified into Chavakatt, and Anglicised into Chowghat” (The Syrian Church in Malabar, J. C. Panjikkaran, Trichinopoly, 1914, alias SARAS Edition, ICHC I, The Nazranies, pp.277, 278). Today Palayur is a ward of the Chowghat Municipality. It appears from an old song that there were some forty Nampoothiri Brahmin families or manas of Malayalee Brahmins at Palayur when the apostle had arrived on the spot. Of these the members of thirtyfour families or manas accepted the apostle’s faith. But the manas of Kandi, Kalam, Chengalam, Mundam etc. ran away to Venmenattu and settled down there. This place is still called Pudumanassery or the ‘place of the new manas’ or ‘new place of manas’.14 This tradition is prevalent not only among the christians but also among the Brahmins themselves. One family alone of the unconverted Brahmins remained in Palayur. This place, one kilometre south of Palayur today, has come to be called Orumanayoor or the ‘place of the single mana’ or Nampoothiri family. The name Palayur itself has undergone some transformation down the twenty centuries. In the early centuries it was known to the western world as Palura as in Pliny. The name continued as Palur till the time of the Synod of Diamper, as is evident from the first of the four Palayur copper plate documents of 781 M.E. i.e. 1606 A.D. (the date of which coincides with the year of publication of the Jornada at Coimbra) wherein the place is called Palur. In the second document of 852 M.E. (1677 A.D.) and in the third coppper plate document of 856 M.E. (A.D. 1681) it is called Palaiyur. Only by the time of the fourth document (918 M.E.) does it become the modern Palayur. Family Names “The Apostle must have given the same organisation to the churches that he established in India as the other apostles did. According to the Ramban Song, he ordained priests and consecrated bishops. Kepa and Paul are said to have been consecrated bishops. Two families, Sankarapuri and Pakalomattam, even today claim a continual line of priests starting from those ordained by the Apostle.” The two families Sankarapuri and Pakalomattam were among those who received their faith from Apostle Thomas at Palayur. As Placid Podipara also says, “There is a tradition that St. Thomas conferred priesthood and also high priesthood on the members of certain fmilies some of which, as we said above, exist even today glorying in a line of priests, going back, as it is said, to St. Thomas.” “Pakalomattam and some others (as we said) are some of these families. In Malabar families often take their original names from the compounds where they live in. The descendants of Pakalomattam and of some other families are found at Kuravilangad. The tradition is that they immigrated to Kuravilangad from far away Palayur in the early centuries. In Palayur could be seen even today compounds bearing these names. All these show how sedulously the Thomas Christians keep up their traditions.” 20 Some other families tracing their Christian origin to the Palayur event are : Kalli, Kaliyankavu, Kottakkali, Koyikkam, Nedumpalli, Panakkamattam, Madamboor, Muttodan....although the most famous examples are those of Sankarapuri and Pakalomattam which have contributed to the Kerala Church some of its best known leaders, priests, and administrators.” Personal Names L.K. Anantha Krishna Aiyar the reputed anthropologist testifies in his Anthropology of the Syrian Christians 22 that the Malayalam dialect or colloquial language of the Syrian Christians of the Thrissur district ( not necessarily of the Thrissur town, perhaps) is the language spoken by the Kerala Brahmins at home. The personal names prevalent among the christians of the area are also names or very similar to the names to be found among the Nampoothiries or Malayalee Brahmins of the area. Names like Kunjethy, Ittiannam, Cherchi, Unicharu are very common for christian women. Ittiachan, Thomakkutty and Thomman, Varunny, Kurian, Kochappan, Oppan are popular male names.[The Greek and Biblical elements in the chistian names of the locality harks back to a time much before the advent of any foreign domination in the area : Rodha, Alexander (Chandy), Pathros (Peter), Yohannan, Martha, Mariam, are examples.] The name of the vicar of the church in the Palayur copper plate No.1 of 1606 A.D. is Ittyachanar. During the time of the third and fourth copper plates the name of the vicar is given as Chakku. Customs among Christians and Brahmins Concerning certain customs of the local christians of the Palayur area Nagam Iyah has this: “There is no doubt as to the tradition that St. Thomas came to Malabar, and converted a few families of Nambudhiris. For, in consonance with this longstanding traditional belief in the minds of the people of the Apostle’s mission and labours among high-caste Hindus, we have it before us today the fact that certain Syrian Christian women, particularly of a Desom called Kunnamkulam, wear clothes as Nambudhiri women do, move about screening themselves with huge umbrellas from profane eyes as those women do and will not marry except perhaps in exceptional cases, and that only recently, but from among dignified families of similar aristocratic descent.” Here it may be remembered that the custom of white dress, the njori or fan-like appendix at the back symbolic of the greatest modesty, and the taboo regarding the use of nasal ornaments among the highest ranking Nambudhiri women or Antharjanams is perhaps copied from the Thomas Christian women because such customs are not to be found among Brahmins anywhere else in the country. Compulsory use of white dress and the avoidance of Nasabharanam are among the sixtyfour Anacharams of Adi Sankaracharya (b.ca.8th c. A.D.). Added to these when we study the unique seventytwo royal-priestly privileges enjoyed by all Thomas Christians for more than a millennium, and when we notice the increasing scholarly opinion that the Nabudhiris are perhaps a community with only perhaps a thousand or so years’ history in Kerala, the temptation is strong to conclude that the christians were perhaps the original Nambudhiris, some of whom became Vedic Hindus later on. For in Kerala proper, between the rivers Pampa and Ponnani there were no Vedic Hindu idols before the 10th century. It is noteworthy that Brahmins from noble families still do not eat or drink or even chew Pansupari while in the Chowghat - Palayur area, true to the oath of their forefathers who vowed “ Next bath only at Venmenadu”. The First Church at Palayur Information about one of the earliest churches of Kerala and India is forthcoming in a letter of Fr. Finecio s.j. When he decided, after obtaining due permission from the ecclesiastical authorities to construct a more convenient church for the parish of Palayur in early 17th century the local people were not willing to demolish the old church which they believed was constructed in apostolic times. That church was small, and fully made of teakwood. Then the Italian missionary decided to build a new church around the old one, without harming it. After he had completed the new church in ca.1607 he was able to get the people to agree to demolish the old structure. Finally the triumphant missionary says, “ The wooden structure still remained inside the new church. They believed that if that were to be demolished the person so doing would die on the spot. But I was able to remove that fear through a sermon. Straightaway they removed the old church. Only then did the splendour and size of the new church become visible. Hindus, Mohamedans, and Jews were continuously coming to see the church, more out of curiosity than from devotion.”30 Although Tippu Sultan’s army set fire to the church in the 18th century so that it had to be reconstructed it is believed that the nave of the present church belongs to Fr. Fenicio’s building. The statement of the missionary shows that Jews were present at Palayur at least till the beginning of the 17th century. The Jews in Palayur There is a strong belief that St. Thomas was first attracted to Kerala by the presence of Jews here, and that his first fields of work were in the Jewish colonies of 1st century Kerala.31 There is another point of view that Jews arrived in Kerala only after the fall of Jerusalem in 69 A.D.32 It is certain that even if there were no Jewish settlements in Palayur before the coming of the Apostle there has been a very strong presence of Jews there from soon after that. According Moses Pereya de Paiva there were in Palayur one synagogue and ten families of Jews in 1686. The Juden Kunnu (hill) of old records now termed the Jewish Bazar at Palayur is a living testimony to the presence and prominence of Jews there in the early centuries. The area at the foot of this spot is still called Angadythazham, which could be translated as the place at the foot of the (Jewish) bazar or hill. There is mention of a Jewish flute-girl in connection with the story of St.Thomas’ arrival in Kerala, and also mention of the Apostle converting forty Jews. But the Knanaya community of ‘Jewish Christians’ in Kerala trace their origin not to St. Thomas the Apostle, but to Thomas Kinayi only. The Bishop of Palayur The importance and stature of Palayur iamong the Thomas Christian churches is evident from the fact that Palayur was chosen as the episcopal seat of the first indigenous Metran or Bishop. Although there is an element of uncertainty or mystery surrounding some of the facts concerning the appointment of Archdeacon George of Christ as the bishop of Palayur, Pope Gregory XIII in his letter to the clergy and the christians of St. Thomas has this: “Obedite vero in Domino Abrahamo Archiepiscopo vestro, Georgio item Episcopo Palurensi...” This question is elaborately discussed, and is the theme of the book by Jacob Manjooran also. Discussions on this are also to be found in Mackenzie, Panjikkaren, Placid , Thekkedath and many others. The Archdeacon’s consecration could have prevented many untoward incidents in the history of the Kerala Church. Places and Objects of Interest There are in Palayur today a number of places and objects worthy of the historian’s, the tourist’s, and the pilgrim’s interest. In the preservation, protection, and conservation of these and in bringing to popular attention the significance of Palayur, many persons and organisations have rendered yeoman service. A few of these names may be recalled here, although space does not permit a detailed narration of the mulifarious services contributed by each: The vicars Frs. G.F.Choondal, J.Manjooran, .S.Arakkal,...the first vice-chairman of the Palayur Development Committee Retd. District and Sessioins Judge C.J.Devassy were some who during their lifetime worked hard for the progress of this pilgrim centre. The interest taken by the late Archbishop Kundukulam in the affairs of the pilgrim centre must be gratefully acknowledged. Because of its historical importance, the Church has been upgraded as Archdiocesan Shrine on 16 April 2000, by the Archbishop of Trichur Mar Jacob Thumkuzhy. To-day Palayur is a major Pilgrim Center, attracting hundreds of people everyday from all over the state of Kerala and also from other states and countries. Recently (27th Aug., 2000) relics of the Apostle Thomas have been brought from Ortona in Italy and deposited in the artistically made casket by the efforts of Archbishop Mar Thumkuzhy. Among the noteworthy Historical Monuments at Palayur are the Boat Jetty (Bottukulam) where St Thomas landed at Palayur, the Thaliyakulam or pond where St Thomas baptized the local people, a replica of Chinna Malai (of Mylapore - Madras) where St Thomas attainted martyrdom in AD 72, the historical remnants of an old Aryan temple, the Historical Museum, the 14 scenes from the life of St Thomas sculptured in granite, and the Jubilee Door in front of the entrance of the main hall of the Church, depicting various important Biblical events, carved in Burmese teak. The historical museum has many objects of archaeological, historical, and artistic value. Among the objects registered with / by the State Dept. of Archaeology are many ancient objects of historical value. The Christian Cultural Museum functioning in the Lourdes Cathedral premises from 1980, which had collected together a large number of objects of historic, artistic, archival, archaeological, and anthropological interest in granite, wood, metal, ivory&c. from old non-Catholic as well as Catholic churches spread all over the state, was trasferred to Palayur in the early nineties. The Archdiocesan commission for the Palayur Pilgrim Centre has recently made elaborate plans for its all round development, keeping intact its cultural and spititual heritage, and the Archdiocesan Committee for Palayur is now putting some of these plans into practice. Festivals and Celebrations The Palayur Pilgrim Centre today attracts, as has been mentioned, large numbers of non-christians also. This has always been the case. The following incident is taken from the Jesuit annual letter of 1607: Two kinglets, having in vain appealed to their idols, made vows in this church (at Palur) with the object of getting an heir. God heard them. One determined to feed 500 or 1,000 of the faithful. The second called about 4,000.36 The following are some of the festivals, celebrations, and rituals observed at Palayur: special services on every Tuesday, Muppittu Njayar celebration on Sundays after the tenth of every month with baptism of children from all over the archdiocese and state at the Thaliakkulam (tank), community vratharamba service on ash Monday, vidyaramba service every year, Dukhrana (July 3), First Sunday after Easter, etc. The most interesting event at Palayur nowadays is the Palayur Mahatheerthadanam or Great Pilgrimage under Archdiocesan auspices during the lenten season in which thousands of devotees participate irrespective of caste and creed. ----Prof. George Menachery

Kadamattathu Kathanar

2010-11-07T04:57:00.003-07:00

Greetings, All--

I stumbled upon this website, and thought it will be a enjoyable read for most of us here. There are some pics there too. Enjoy the read!!! For those interested in reading about a Bishop and theologian, who also was a conjurer and alchemist; and going back in history to the 4th century... here is a link to read more of
Kadamattom Church and the founder Mar Sabour.
http://www.kadamattomchurch.org/history.html

Apparently, the priest he ordained rose above the source and later on became known as the famous Kadamatttathu Kathanar. I checked what the word Kathanar means: it means 'Priest'.

Here goes a story of the Kadamattathu Kathanar--

***
The antagonist of the story was an unfortunate Yakshi called The Pynanarkavu Yakshi or the Parumala Yakshi. The haunt of this “lady” was the Thiruvananthapuram-Padamanabhapuram path that served as the route for travellers wanting to reach either destination. It was a lonely winding path coursing through an uninhibited and desolate area covered by dense forest. The Yakshi would be found in this stretch
seeking her source(s) of nourishment. In those days, she found her victims in large numbers. The path slowly gaining the reputation of the deadly path, fewer people chose to take this path and the Yakshi was left with dwindling numbers the Yakshi pro-actively started preying on men directly from the villages. Literally, terror came home and the villagers took a defensive stance by consulting witch-doctors
and exorcists. Nothing (the traditional ways) worked. The Yakshi continued her bestial sanguinary. The news of this Yakshi spread far and wide across the land eventually reached the ears of the legendary hero and local Christian priest the formidable and conjurer, “Kadamattathu Kathanar”. With overtones of saving the local populace like a hero (with overtones to the dragon slayer-St. George), he set
out to annihilate this blood sucking creature. He searched for her and after a few days managed to identify her haunt. She made the overture in her usual guise of a sensual dame. The Kathanar also a human was taken-up by the beauty of the manifestation but did engage her. The Yakshi asked him for some lime-slick. It is used to make “paan” that is a local mild intoxicant. Prepared for her query, he
offered her the lime but on a an iron nail. Apprehensive of metal (as legends say evil spirits are afraid of metal items especially iron) the Yakshi refused to accept and retreated. But the Kathanar insisted on her accepting the lime on the nail. The nail was fortified with a magic “mantra” that had the ability to temporarily deplete her power. Now it was the Kathanar’s turn to persuade and she eventually accepted it. She faced a tactical loss of her dark and carnal powers. He drove the nail on to the top of her head rendering her a slave to him. In order to rehabilitate the Yakshi, the Kathanar took her to an old relative of his, she used to live alone and Kathanar presumed that the Yakshi could be of great help to the lonely woman. The old lady was delighted and offered to prepare lunch for them. After lunch, the
Kathanar took a siesta while the old woman and the slave girl got to know each other. As was the custom with women in Kerala (of the olden days of course) the lady offered to comb the hair of the slave-girl. While combing, the comb snagged on the nail which the priest had secured causing bleeding. Alarmed, the woman pulled out the nail upon and the Yakshi fled. Dumbfounded by the incident, the lady woke up the Kathanar and related the incident to him. The Kathanar realised the gravity of the
situation and ran behind the direction she had fled. The miraculous Kathanar soon caught-up with her and she increased her pace and the chase finally led them to a place called "Mannar". Don’t know why, but is supposed to have taken the only boat to cross the river Pampa. The Kathanar was without a mode of conveyance but used his conjuring skills to bind the Yakshi at the opposite bank so that she was unable
to move and was trapped. He transversed the river like a surfer on a banana leaf and reached the Yakshi at the other bank. The Yakshi realised that she had met her match and begged him not to destroy her. The Kathanar was the epitome of tenderness and he allowed her to live provided she does not shed blood of any human. She was ranted the
choice of a peaceful life in the surrounding forest which is known as Pynanarkavu. Pursuant to her promise, she is reputed to be living till date haunt the forests though invisible to the human eye. Of course, sightings have been cited by many though there are no killings reported to have been caused by her.
***

He warned His followers against false prophets.

2010-11-05T05:55:00.000-06:00

He warned His followers against false prophets.
(Written in A.D. 356, this letter was addressed by Bishop Athanasius of Alexandria To the Bishops of Egypt.)
------------------------
All things whatsoever Yeshua, as Luke wrote, both hath done and taught,'He effected after having appeared for our salvation; for He came, as John saith, not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. And among the rest we have especially to admire this instance of His goodness, that He was not silent concerning those who should fight against us, but plainly told us beforehand, that, when those things should come to pass, we might straightway be found with minds established by His teaching. For He said, There shall arise false prophets and false Christs, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, the very elect shall be deceived. Behold, I have told you before.' Manifold indeed and beyond human conception are the instructions and gifts of grace which He has laid up in us; as the pattern of heavenly conversation, power against demons, the adoption of sons, and that exceeding great and singular grace, the knowledge of the Father and of the Word Himself, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. But the mind of man is prone to evil exceedingly; moreover, our adversary the devil, envying us the possession of such great blessings, goes about seeking to snatch away the seed of the word which is sown within us. Wherefore as if by His prophetic warnings He would seal up His instructions in our hearts as His own peculiar treasure, the Lord said, Take heed that no man deceive you: for many shall come in My name, saying, I am he; and the time draws near; and they shall deceive many: go ye not therefore after them.' This is a great gift which the Word has bestowed upon us, that we should not be deceived by appearances, but that, howsoever these things are concealed, we should all the more distinguish them by the grace of the Spirit. For whereas the inventor of wickedness and great spirit of evil, the devil, is utterly hateful, and as soon as he shews himself is rejected of all men,--as a serpent, as a dragon, as a lion seeking whom he may seize upon and devour,--therefore he conceals and covers what he really is, and craftily impersonates that Name which all men desire, so that deceiving by a false appearance, he may thenceforth fix fast in his own chains those whom he has led astray. And as if one that desired to kidnap the children of others during the absence of their parents, should impersonate their appearance, and so putting a cheat on the affections of the offspring, should carry them far away and destroy them; in like manner this evil and wily spirit the devil, having no confidence in himself, and knowing the love which men bear to the truth, impersonate its appearance, and so spreads his own poison among those that follow after him.

An Exhortation to Humility

2010-10-31T05:55:00.000-06:00

(Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke 14:1.7-11.)
On a sabbath Yeshua went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully. He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.
When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, 'Give your place to this man,' and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place.
Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, 'My friend, move up to a higher position.' Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

***Reflection based on excerpts of The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians***
Let us therefore, brethren, be of humble mind, laying aside all haughtiness, and pride, and foolishness, and angry feelings; and let us act according to that which is written (for the Holy Spirit saith, “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, neither let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in the Lord, in diligently seeking Him, and doing judgment and righteousness” Jer. ix. 23, 24; 1 Cor. i. 31; 2 Cor. x. 17.), being especially mindful of the words of Yeshua which He spake teaching us meekness and long-suffering. For thus He spoke: “Be ye merciful, that ye may obtain mercy; forgive, that it may be forgiven to you; as ye do, so shall it be done unto you; as ye judge, so shall ye be judged; as ye are kind, so shall kindness be shown to you; with what measure ye mete, with the same it shall be measured to you.” Matt. vi. 12–15, vii. 2; Luke vi. 36–38. By this precept and by these rules let us establish ourselves, that we walk with all humility in obedience to His holy words. For the holy word saith, “On whom shall I look, but on him that is meek and peaceable, and that trembleth at my words?

The people would not receive Yeshua

2010-09-27T18:02:00.002-06:00

(Scripture: Luke 9:51-56)
51 When the days drew near for him to be received up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him; 53 but the people would not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?" 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 And they went on to another village.

***
A short reflection on this Gospel passage for today's contemporary world:
Yeshua set his face toward Jerusalem, where he knew he must die. For those who have been forgiven much will love God much, for those who have been forgiven little, will love with far less devotion. Technically, the Sadducees were people who did not believe in the Spirit and Eternal life, and wanted to discredit Yeshua and posed several insoluble questions (I am not going into the detail of what they asked) which is the basic gist of this passage reading.

Five loaves and two fish

2010-08-02T05:00:00.000-06:00

(Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Apostle Matthew 14:13-21.)
When Jesus heard of it, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, "This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves."
(Jesus) said to them, "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves."
But they said to him, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have here."
Then he said, "Bring them here to me,"
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over --twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.

Stay the Course

2010-06-27T06:06:00.001-06:00

Scripture Reading taken from Luke 9:51-62
When the days drew near for him to be received up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him; but the people would not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Master, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?" But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village. As they were going along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Master, let me first go and bury my father." But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Another said, "I will follow you, Master; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Fish and Loaves

2010-06-06T05:06:00.002-06:00

Now when the news of John the Baptist's death became known, people from all of the religions about Judea and Galilee went forth to seek Jesus; for they believed some that the mantle of Elijah had fallen unto Him, and others that He was Messiah. When Jesus saw large crowds of pilgrims coming into the desert to hear Him, He was moved with compassion and ministered unto them; For they were as sheep without a shepherd. When evening came, the disciples suggested that He dismiss the men so that they could go into the surrounding villages to buy food. But the Master said: : You feed them." They answered, we have nothing but five loaves of bread and two fish, which could hardly suffice for our own needs. Moreover, you see the huge crowd of hungry people, O' Master; it is like a great army. How can we feed all these?

Jesus took the loaves and basket of fish, commanding silence from all, and held them up to Heaven saying: "Almighty Father and Mother, God, may what we have be made sufficient unto our need; Amen, Amen, Amen." Then the disciples passed among the people, whom they had seated by groups on the ground, and distributed from the fish and the loaves. It came to pass that after everyone had eaten his fill, the disciples passed among them again and collected twelve bushels of uneaten food. And the number of people who were miraculously fed that day was five thousand.

After this, Jesus asked his disciples:"What have you learned?" Philip said, we do not know Master. Jesus said to them: " Learn to have faith that heaven will provide your needs, but not your lusts or whims or desire. Learn to consecrate what you have in prayer unto God, and out of little resource will He multiply great abundance for your need. Do not pray for what you do not have, but rather that what you have might be sufficient unto the day; and it will be so. For this is the Divine Law."

Reflection in the Mirror

2010-06-05T06:06:00.000-06:00

Gospel of Jesus according to Mark 12:38-44.

In the course of his teaching Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation."

He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood."
***
A short reflection on this Gospel passage for today's contemporary world:

Peace doesn't begin with fund-raising dinners, politics, wars, intellectual debate or organizations that have appointed themselves to represent the people. Peace begins with the reflection in the mirror. Personal peace is a powerful cause of world peace. Personal peace and personal health lead to global peace and global health. Everything is interconnected.

The Most Holy Trinity

2010-05-30T06:06:00.000-06:00

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 16:12-15.

"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you."

Pentecost Sunday - Solemnity

2010-05-23T06:06:00.000-06:00

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 20:19-23.
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, «Peace be with you.»
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
(Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."

Pentecost Sunday At the Vigil Mass

2010-05-22T06:06:00.000-06:00

Gospel (Jn 7:37-39)

On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. As Scripture says: Rivers of living water will flow from within him who believes in me.”

He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive.

There was, of course, no Spirit yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter

2010-05-21T06:06:00.000-06:00

Gospel (Jn 21:15-19)

After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to Simon Peter a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

Bishop +Joe's visit - follow up

2010-05-03T06:06:00.001-06:00

Bishop +Joe,

It was great to meet you and have fellowship together. Our time was brief, but I am glad we met face to face. Perhaps more meetings will follow. I would like to stay in touch with each other and lend support through mutual works. I very much enjoyed the closing reading you offered as well as the Rite you used for the consecrations sub conditione. I wish Holy Light Temple much success in Her service to community.

Peace and Blessings of the Spirit,
+Dositheos

"153" is a symbolic number

2010-04-27T06:06:00.003-06:00

Aristotle is said to have taught that there were 153 different species of fish in the Mediterranean. I've tried without success to find the exact reference in Aristotle, but St Jerome (345-420) alludes to this teaching when commenting on Ezekiel 47:9: "Those who have written about animated nature say that there are an hundred and fifty-three kinds of fish. One of each of these kinds was caught by the Apostle, and more remained uncaught. For noble and ignoble, rich and poor, all sorts and conditions of men, are drawn out of the sea of this world to salvation." So, the story is a symbol of the apostles' ministry of evangelizing ALL people . . . without "breaking the net."
It’s interesting to look at other commentaries on the passage from the patristic age. Now, the kind of interpretation of Scripture that owes more to the ingenuity of the preacher than to the text itself is not entirely lacking among the Fathers! As many readers know, as is also clear to me that typology is the key to understanding the evolution of the liturgy from the texts of Holy Scripture in both east and west. Just look at these passages from St Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376-444) and St Augustine of Hippo (354-430) on the 153 fish: First St Cyril: ". . . they put the mass of captured fish before Him Who had commanded them to be caught; and the quantity of the fish is indicated by the number 153. The number 100, to the best of my judgment, signifies the complement of the nations, for the number 100 is a very perfect number, being compounded of 10 times 10; and for this reason our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, in one place, speaks in the parable of having 100 sheep belonging to Him, signifying the complete sum of rational creatures, and in another place declares that the best ground will bring forth a hundredfold, meaning thereby the perfect fertility of the righteous soul. The number 50, on the other hand, betokens the elect remnant of the Israelite, saved by grace; for 50 is half 100, and falls short of the perfect number in amount. And by the three, reference is made to the Holy and Con substantial Trinity, the number alone showing this; for to the glory and ceaseless praise of the Trinity the life of those who have been taken captive through faith is consecrated, and implies connection with the Godhead. For God is in all those who believe in Him, and keeps nigh unto Him, by means of sanctification, those who have been won over by the teaching of the Gospel."
Then St Augustine: ". . . of the reason of this number we must now, with the Lord's help, give some account. For if we determine on the number that should indicate the law, what else can it be but ten? For we have absolute certainty that the Decalogue of the law, that is, those ten well-known precepts, were first written by the finger of God on two tables of stone. Deuteronomy 9:10 But the law, when it is not aided by grace, makes transgressors, and is only in the letter, on account of which the apostle specially declared, The letter kills, but the spirit gives life. 2 Corinthians 3:6 Let the spirit then be added to the letter, lest the letter kill him whom the spirit makes not alive, and let us work out the precepts of the law, not in our own strength, but by the grace of the Savior. But when grace is added to the law, that is, the spirit to the letter, there is, in a kind of way, added to ten the number of seven. For this number, namely seven, is testified by the documents of holy writ given us for perusal, to signify the Holy Spirit. For example, sanctity or sanctification properly pertains to the Holy Spirit, whence, as the Father is a spirit, and the Son a spirit, because God is a spirit, so the Father is holy and the Son holy, yet the Spirit of both is called peculiarly by the name of the Holy Spirit. Where, then, was there the first distinct mention of sanctification in the law but on the seventh day? For God sanctified not the first day, when He made the light; nor the second, when He made the firmament; nor the third, when He separated the sea from the land, and the land brought forth grass and timber; nor the fourth, wherein the stars were created; nor the fifth, wherein were created the animals that live in the waters or fly in the air; nor the sixth, when the terrestrial living soul and man himself were created; but He sanctified the seventh day, wherein He rested from all His works. The Holy Spirit, therefore, is aptly represented by the septuagenarian number. The prophet Isaiah likewise says, The Spirit of God shall rest on Him; and thereafter calls our attention to that Spirit in His septuagenarian work or grace, by saying, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and piety; and He shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of God. Isaiah 11:2-3 And what of the Revelation? Are they not there called the seven Spirits of God, Revelation 3:1 while there is only one and the same Spirit dividing to every one severally as He will? 1 Corinthians 12:11 But the septuagenarian operation of the one Spirit was so called by the Spirit Himself, whose own presence in the writer led to their being spoken of as the seven Spirits. Accordingly, when to the number of ten, representing the law, we add the Holy Spirit as represented by seven, we have seventeen; and when this number is used for the adding together of every several number it contains, from 1 up to itself, the sum amounts to one hundred and fifty-three. For if you add 2 to 1, you have 3 of course; if to these you add 3 and 4, the whole makes 10; and then if you add all the numbers that follow up to 17, the whole amounts to the aforesaid number; that is, if to 10, which you had reached by adding all together from 1 to 4, you add 5, you have 15; to these add 6, and the result is 21; then add 7, and you have 28; to this add 8, and 9, and 10, and you get 55; to this add 11 and 12, and 13, and you have 91; and to this again add 14, 15, and 16, and it comes to 136; and then add to this the remaining number of which we have been speaking, namely, 17, and it will make up the number of fishes. But it is not on that account merely a hundred and fifty-three saints that are meant as hereafter to rise from the dead unto life eternal, but thousands of saints who have shared in the grace of the Spirit, by which grace harmony is established with the law of God, as with an adversary; so that through the life-giving Spirit the letter no longer kills, but what is commanded by the letter is fulfilled by the help of the Spirit, and if there is any deficiency it is pardoned. All therefore who are sharers in such grace are symbolized by this number, that is, are symbolically represented. This number has, besides, three times over, the number of fifty, and three in addition, with reference to the mystery of the Trinity; while, again, the number of fifty is made up by multiplying 7 by 7, with the addition of 1, for 7 times 7 make 49. And the 1 is added to show that there is one who is expressed by seven on account of His sevenfold operation; and we know that it was on the fiftieth day after our Lord's ascension that the Holy Spirit was sent, for whom the disciples were commanded to wait according to the promise."

A Brief History and Overview of Labyrinths

2010-04-13T18:06:00.003-06:00

The labyrinth design is a geometrical pattern that has one well-defined path that leads into center and back out again. Unlike a maze, there are no dead ends, no intersecting paths. As you enter the labyrinth to begin a walking meditation, it is suggested that you move slowly, with attention to each step. Rev. Patti says that unlike walking a maze which is designed to challenge you with its intersecting paths and dead ends, a labyrinth design incorporates a 'unicursal' pattern that leads you to center along a meandering path and back out again along the same path. It is a meditative path of prayer that is designed to bring you into awareness of your relationship with God, of your wholeness; body, mind and spirit.
The oldest known documented labyrinth design is from Crete and dated to 3000 BCE, or about 5000 years old. During the early Middle Ages, there was a cathedral building boom across Europe. Twenty-two of these cathedrals were built, mostly in France and Italy, with labyrinths placed in their floors. The only surviving original labyrinth of that era rests in the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France, built in 1201. These labyrinths served as symbolic journeys for pilgrims unable to reach the Holy Land because of war, disease, and inaccessibility of Jerusalem at different times in history. In fact, the centers of these labyrinths were known as "The New Jerusalem." Pilgrimage to one of these cathedrals, and walking the labyrinths within them, fulfilled the seeker's religious commitment of journeying to Jerusalem.
A pilgrimage is a journey undertaken in search of the sacred. We step out of the observer role and venture into that of the participant, with God and with each other, in search of God's grace, guidance, nurturance, and renewal in our lives. The three-fold path of the pilgrim, as coined by the 16th century mystic Theresa of Avila, provides a guideline that can be applied to walking the labyrinth. Our walk in, towards center, we begin the symbolic path of purgation, of releasing, letting-go, quieting the mind and surrendering. The center represents illumination, opening to the Divine. Our return path is union or communion, strengthened from our journey and being granted the power to act within our community. Although we walk this path as individuals, and sometimes we may feel lost and not know where we are on the path, we are walking with others, who may also feel the same. We each find our own natural rhythm, a pace that may change throughout our time on the labyrinth. This is the pace our body wants to go, not our mind. We may feel a need to stop along the way. We may need to pass someone whose pace is slower than our own. We may follow in another's footsteps. We will also come 'face to face' with others along the path. How do we negotiate our meetings with others as we move along the path? What concerns, joys, or questions come up for us as we walk our spiritual paths? Our journey within the vessel of the labyrinth thus becomes a metaphor for our journey through life.

The Wealth of Spirit

2010-04-10T00:01:00.001-06:00

Here is an interesting homily for the First Sunday after Easter (Low Sunday)by Rev. Steven as delivered in Hollywood on Low Sunday 2002.
The first Sunday after Easter has been called "Low Sunday", so as to distinguish it from Easter Sunday, which has been called "High Sunday". Ecclesiastics facetiously explain the title supposedly because attendance is typically so low on this Sunday in comparison to Easter Sunday. This phenomenon, not always born out in my experience, is in a certain way symbolic of the dichotomy of how the success of a religion, church or person is measured when contrasting a worldly versus a spiritual view of the matter.
The Gnostic point of view expresses this dichotomy most often in the contrasting of material wealth and an exterior, visible growth in the world with spiritual wealth and an interior, invisible growth in the Spirit. One can appreciate this dichotomy in the contrasting of the two parables of the rich man in the Gospel of Thomas:
Jesus said: There was a rich man who had much money. He said, 'I shall put my money to use so that I may sow, reap, plant and fill my storehouse with produce so that I lack nothing.' Such were his intentions, but that same night he died.
Now, contrast the previous saying with the following parable of the wise merchant:
Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is like a merchant who had a consignment of merchandise and who discovered a pearl. He sold the merchandise and bought the pearl alone for himself. You, too, seek this enduring and unfailing treasure where no moth comes near to devour and no worm destroys.
The pearl here is symbolic of the priceless treasure of the spirit, the seed of the Light within us, our authentic and immortal Self. Acknowledgment of the value of the pearl by the wise merchant, as opposed to the rich man who thought only of the temporal wealth of the world, signifies a recognition of the true value of knowing our authentic Self, often obscured by the material and psychological obfuscation of the world, but which is a recognition of our authentic Selves as sons and daughters of the Light. The rich man who put his value in the things of this world is contrasted with the wise merchant who gives up all to obtain the single pearl. As stated in the Gospel according to St. Luke, "Likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaken not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple."
There is a great treasure of the Light within us of whose nature most of are only temporarily or vaguely conscious, yet it is of a reality that is truly enduring, that is incorruptible and immortal. Such a treasure of the Light is so powerfully obscured by the overvaluing of material things and psychological and social preoccupations that very little of it shines into everyday consciousness and out into the world. The hidden nature of our authentic Self, most tragically occulted even from our own awareness is further amplified by the following passage from the Gospel of Philip: No one will hide a large valuable object into something small, but many a time one has tossed countless thousands into a thing worth a penny. Compare the soul. It is a precious thing and it came to be in a worthless body.
This passage exhorts us to avoid identification with anything that falls short of our authentic spiritual Self, the true treasure of the Light. Do not put our value, our authenticity, into anything less than our true pneumatic Self; do not compromise our spiritual integrity. If we identify ourselves, our value, our wealth, with any of the myriad, worthless things of the world, we become eaten up by that. As stated in the Gospel according to Thomas, "Blessed is the man who eats the lion and the lion shall become man, but cursed is the man whom the lion (world) eats and he will become a lion." If we identify our value with material things and the body, we are eaten up by that and fall into the snare of the Hyletic. If asked who they are, they answer, " I am the possessor of such and such in material wealth or status," or , "I am the possessor of such and such physical attributes of my body." If we identify with what we think or feel, we are eaten up by that and fall into the prison of the Psychic. If asked who they are, they answer, "I am a believer or unbeliever in such and such," or, "I am a lover or hater of such and such." We get stuck in these false identities and become blind to anything greater. In the logion from the Gospel of Thomas recited for this Sunday, Jesus further explains this blindness: And my soul was afflicted for the sons of men, because they are blind in their hearts and do not see that empty they have come into the world and that empty they seek to go out of the world again.
Many coming from a secular, socio-economic paradigm of salvation continually complain about the problems of material poverty. Indeed, there is much suffering due to conditions of poverty in the world, and we should help to alleviate it to the extent that opportunities avail themselves to us on a personal level. But material poverty pales in comparison to the spiritual poverty, the spiritual emptiness that afflicts the vast majority of people, both the rich and the poor. As the Gospel of Thomas explains, They do not see that empty they have come into the world and empty they seek to go out of the world again."
For such dispirited people the phrase, "wealth of the Spirit," is an oxymoron. They can not acknowledge even the existence of the things of the spirit, let alone assign any value to them. In the portion of the Gospel of Thomas read today, Jesus points out what is truly important to consider in this regard: Jesus said: If the fesh has come into existence because of the spirit, it is a marvel; but if the spirit has come into existence because of the body, it is a marvel of marvels. But I marvel at how this great wealth has made its home in this poverty.
People have not truly come into the world empty, but being unconscious and ignorant of the treasure within them, they are effectively empty. The recognition of that treasure can not come about through an abstract or theoretical speculation on the origin of material or immaterial things but through experience, both a consciousness of the poverty of ignorance as the existential condition of the human being in the world , and the recognition of the true treasure of the Spirit, that fragment of the Divine Light that enlightens the soul and aids her in transcending the material and psychological obscuration of the world.
The Gospel reading for today further explains the process by which these conscious recognitions occur: Jesus said: I took my stand in the midst of the world and in flesh I appeared to them; I found them all drunk, I found none among them athirst… But now they are drunk. When they have shaken off their wine, then will they repent.
This passage indicates two steps in the process. First we must shake off our drunkenness by the things of the world. Then only can we repent and turn the awareness of our soul from external and material things to inner and spiritual things.
The captive and unrepentant soul is drunk on the drink of the world, a world that is made of substitutes for the spirit, that hold the soul captive, a worldly drink that befuddles our awareness, that puts us into a stupor of unconsciousness, and prevents us from becoming conscious of the spiritual treasure within us and of anything beyond the world's counterfeits of the real. This drink comes in a myriad of masquerading and superficially attractive forms, but they are all unfulfilling and counterfeit creations, they are only replicas of the real, they are the promises and threats of false gods and archons. We become attached to and captured by the ideas of the mind, the emotional affections of the passions, the dressed-up desires of our instinctual drives. But they are false gods; they give false promises of fulfillment, comfort and peace, but they do not deliver it in any enduring fashion. Ultimately, they are empty and they leave us empty.
What we are really seeking behind all of these counterfeits are the enduring things of the Spirit, the wealth of the Spirit, the treasure of the Light within. Being drunk on the drink of the world is an attempt to find wealth, happiness and fulfillment on the horizontal and external dimension of being. Wealth is related to the word "weal," meaning wellbeing and happiness, but material and psychological things can not really offer this in any lasting way. How often have people found that the achievement of their worldly desires did not bring them the happiness that they sought. How often we say to ourselves, "If only so and so believed in my ideas then I would be well and happy. If only I had such and such a possession or physical characteristic then I would be well and happy. If only I had this like satisfied or that dislike removed then I would be well and happy. But when we have obtained these objects of our desires, we find that we are still not well nor happy and another thing takes its place.
Eventually, we must throw off our wine of worldly attachments; we must come to a point of dissatisfaction and sometimes, even despair with these counterfeits of the real before we can ask for and receive the spiritual drink of another and higher reality, before we can drink of the Living Water of the Spirit, which alone provides a weal that is fulfilling and enduring. We must lose the life oriented to the poverty of ignorance to obtain the life of liberating Gnosis. In some instances, before we can be disappointed with the false wine of the world, we must experience that which truly offers a wellbeing and that endures; we must experience something better and greater, then we can repent.
Repent means to turn back, to reverse our direction. Instead of giving our worship to the shibboleths and false gods of the ego and of the human nature directed toward the external world on the horizontal dimension of being, we must turn back to our authentic Selves and to our beginning, our source in the Fullness. We must turn the womb of the soul inward so that she bears us spiritual children as insights of Gnosis. When the soul becomes directed to the Light within, she bears forth the wealth of the Spirit. The Qabbalists teach that the highest is the innermost. In the Pistis Sophia, the Most High is called the Inmost of the Inmosts. That interior star of our being is the door, the way, the opening to transcendence and freedom. Yet that pearl, that treasure of the Light, is hidden beneath layers and layers of dust and darkness. It is imprisoned and entombed by the rulers of matter and psyche, so thickly obscured that we can barely know where to seek for it. What the Gnostics knew is that we cannot find it outside of ourselves.
The title for this Sunday from early times is Dominica in Albis, meaning "Sunday in White," as it signifies the day when at the end of the service, the neophytes, those baptized on Easter Eve, stripped off their baptismal garments of white and put on their civilian dress. The white vesture of the Light becomes interiorized and hidden beneath the outward and worldly appearance. As St. Paul the Apostle wrote, "We have this treasure in earthly vessels."
We must find a way to penetrate these layers of obscuration. We must cleave the wood of outward semblance. We must lift the stone. We must roll the stone away from the tomb of matter, lift it away from the tombs in which our spirits are buried while we live in this flesh.
This work of finding and rescuing the Light within ourselves and in the universe is simple but not easy. The alchemists have said of old, "Nature unaided always fails." And so it is with our own human natures. We might also say, "Human nature unaided always fails." The work of freeing the wealth of the Spirit cannot be accomplished by the mental-emotional-instinctual complex of the ego, or by a social organization simply devised and orchestrated by such egos. We require a light from outside of the archonic system of the world and yet lies within us, such a light as that represented by the flame of the Paschal candle, to find our way back to the Light, to give us the spiritual strength and sustenance to lift the stone away from the tombs of our spirits.
So from whence does this aid for us come. As sung by the Psalmist, "From whence shall my salvation come?" It comes in diverse ways through the Messengers of the Light, and for us through the Gnostic sacraments or mysteries, particularly the central one of the Eucharist. The Eucharist does not do the work for us, but it provides the necessary aid; it provides the spiritual nourishment and sustenance that gives us the strength to make the great journey in this life, to search out the hidden tomb of our authentic being and to lift the stone away. The inner light that makes the way clear in the darkness of this world is increased by our participation in the Eucharist. Eucharist comes from the Greek word meaning "thanksgiving." It is a thanksgiving for the wealth of the spirit given to us in the Eucharist, in the sacrament of what has been rightly called "the most precious gift." It is a thanksgiving to the one who came down through all the Aeons of the Light and all the Archons of the Spheres to bring that gift to us. And so we are also thankful for the true and pure bishops, such as our Right Reverend Father Tau Stephanus, who represent the apostles of that Light. For as written by the holy prophet Mani, "For all the earlier religions were true so long as pure leaders were in them," so has our bishop maintained the purity of our tradition by his leadership and remained true to his calling and his promise to the Light.
He has remained true to the Light from whence he and indeed all of us have come; and there shall he stand in Gnosis and in Truth, so that he and his successors might ever offer the Living Water, the true wine of Gnosis, and the Bread of Life, the Sustenance of the Angels, to the generations now and in the future, to provide the drink and the waybread of heaven to the weary pilgrims in this world who long for return to the Light and who long for the wealth of the spirit in Gnosis.

News of the resurrection

2010-04-04T00:01:00.001-06:00

Scripture: Matthew 28:8-15
So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Hail!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me." While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sum of money to the soldiers and said, "Tell people, `His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.' And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So they took the money and did as they were directed; and this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

Origins of Easter

2010-03-30T01:01:00.001-06:00

Easter is a moveable feast, meaning it is not fixed in relation to the civil calendar-- Julian or Gregorian. The First Council of Nicaea (AD 325) established the date of Easter as the first Sunday after the full moon (the Paschal Full Moon) following the vernal equinox. Ecclesiastically, the equinox is reckoned to be on March 21 (regardless of the astronomically correct date), and the "Full Moon" is not necessarily the astronomically correct date. The date of Easter therefore varies between March 22 and April 25. Eastern Christianity bases its calculations on the Julian Calendar whose March 21 corresponds, during the twenty-first century, to April 3 in the Gregorian Calendar (Western Christianity), in which calendar their celebration of Easter therefore varies between April 4 and May 8. The first Christians, Jewish and Gentile, were certainly aware of the Hebrew calendar (Acts 2:1; 12:3; 20:6; 27:9; 1 Cor 16:8), but there is no direct evidence that they celebrated any specifically Christian annual festivals. The observance by Christians of non-Jewish annual festivals is believed by some to be an innovation postdating the Apostolic Age. The ecclesiastical historian Socrates Scholasticus (born AD 380) attributes the observance of Easter by the church to the perpetuation of its custom, "just as many other customs have been established," stating that neither Jesus nor his Apostles enjoined the keeping of this or any other festival. Some Christians (usually, but not always fundamentalists, however, continue to reject the celebration of Easter (and, often, of Christmas), because they believe them to be irrevocably tainted with paganism and idolatry. Their rejection of these traditions is based partly on their interpretation of 2 Corinthians 6:14-16. Additionally, some Christians who do celebrate the event prefer to call it "Resurrection Sunday" or "Resurrection Day", as a way of distinguishing the religious celebration from more secular or commercial aspects of the holiday such as the Easter Bunny.

The theology of the originality of the Person of Christ

2010-03-29T01:01:00.000-06:00

The theology of the originality of the Person of Christ has not been emphasized sufficiently, even though it is Taborian, hesychastic and consequently radically Orthodox. It is frequently obscured by a conception of tradition as repetition of known and not original things. The fact frequently escapes us that the liturgical repetition of the same ceremonial and the insistence on the tradition of the past, in order to avoid the error of heresy (things essential for the life in Christ), are no more than the trappings of Love. However, Love itself is ecstasy. The Person of Christ, as experienced in the Orthodox East, played a very specific historical role. Instead of creating primarily a theory of the cosmos, a philosophical or ethical system, it was lived and experienced par excellence as the Church, as the Eucharistic congregation. As a gathering of believers in a particular place and at a specific time to celebrate the Eucharist, to constitute in unison the people of God, the Body of Christ that draws its identity from the eschatological expectation of the Resurrected Christ and his kingdom. The Person of Christ influenced art in this way; as a living presence of Christ within the Eucharist and as a painted narration of this event on the walls of the liturgical space within which the Eucharist took place. It is thus worth investigating this specific phenomenon, what new impetus this special congregation of men gave to painting, in the way that it lived and experienced Christ through time and depicted him in icons. Historically Christian painting began as a branch of Hellenistic and Roman art. This singularity of the Person of Christ was expressed visually through the following special characteristics:

1. Light plays the principal role in the icon, no longer as natural light that is governed by the law of rectilinear diffusion, but as a metaphysical light that is free from obligatory obedience to physical laws. It is a light that illumines uniformly and centrally both the whole and the parts, while at the same time cancelling the cast shadows (the shadows of the bodies, which fall on the ground or on other bodies).
2. Colors are by definition bright or at least have bright reflections and rays.
3. Perspective is virtually overturned and things distant come close to the viewer.
4. Light and shade are differentiated. They exist on the parts, but not in the naturalistic manner in which a whole body can be in shadow while others can be in an area of light. All the bodies depicted and a centripetal light, light that falls centrally on each part and pushes the shadow to the edge, illumines all the parts.
5. The figures are weightless and stand on the tips of their toes, as if dancing. The manner of lighting and the manner of drawing contribute to this effect.
6. Plasticity takes another form, appearing in a manner that is crystalline, prismatic, cubist.
7. The landscape is painted like a miniature of the composition as a whole. It functions decoratively and its strong colors impart a jubilant character even when it frames sad subjects.
8. The face, which continues the Hellenistic tradition of portraiture, is simplified and acquires abstract features. The drawing alludes to ancient red-figure vases with spare, clear, elegant lines and the modeling enhances its volumes with fine white lines, the highlights. The highlights create the impression that the face shines with a light similar to that of the Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor. This element in conjunction with intensity of the gaze give the viewer the impression that the Christ depicted is not an ordinary person represented at an ordinary moment, but a unique person whom the venerator of the icon beholds at a unique moment, in which he comes into a unique relationship with him, which surpasses time and death.

'Short' Susanna story from Daniel

2010-03-22T07:00:00.001-06:00

(Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-63)

There was a man living in Babylon whose name was Joakim. And he took a wife named Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah, a very beautiful woman and one who feared the Lord. Her parents were righteous, and had taught their daughter according to the law of Moses. Joakim was very rich, and had a spacious garden adjoining his house; and the Jews used to come to him because he was the most honoured of them all. In that year two elders from the people were appointed as judges. Concerning them the Lord had said: "Iniquity came forth from Babylon, from elders who were judges, who were supposed to govern the people." These men were frequently at Joakim's house, and all who had suits at law came to them. When the people departed at noon, Susanna would go into her husband's garden to walk. The two elders used to see her every day, going in and walking about, and they began to desire her. And they perverted their minds and turned away their eyes from looking to Heaven or remembering righteous judgments. Once, while they were watching for an opportune day, she went in as before with only two maids, and wished to bathe in the garden, for it was very hot. And no one was there except the two elders, who had hid themselves and were watching her. She said to her maids, "Bring me oil and ointments, and shut the garden doors so that I may bathe." When the maids had gone out, the two elders rose and ran to her, and said: "Look, the garden doors are shut, no one sees us, and we are in love with you; so give your consent, and lie with us. If you refuse, we will testify against you that a young man was with you, and this was why you sent your maids away." Susanna sighed deeply, and said, "I am hemmed in on every side. For if I do this thing, it is death for me; and if I do not, I shall not escape your hands. I choose not to do it and to fall into your hands, rather than to sin in the sight of the Lord." Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and the two elders shouted against her. And one of them ran and opened the garden doors. When the household servants heard the shouting in the garden, they rushed in at the side door to see what had happened to her. And when the elders told their tale, the servants were greatly ashamed, for nothing like this had ever been said about Susanna. The next day, when the people gathered at the house of her husband Joakim, the two elders came, full of their wicked plot to have Susanna put to death. They said before the people, "Send for Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah, who is the wife of Joakim." So they sent for her. And she came, with her parents, her children, and all her kindred. But her family and friends and all who saw her wept. Then the two elders stood up in the midst of the people, and laid their hands upon her head.And she, weeping, looked up toward heaven, for her heart trusted in the Lord. The elders said, "As we were walking in the garden alone, this woman came in with two maids, shut the garden doors, and dismissed the maids. Then a young man, who had been hidden, came to her and lay with her.We were in a corner of the garden, and when we saw this wickedness we ran to them. We saw them embracing, but we could not hold the man, for he was too strong for us, and he opened the doors and dashed out. So we seized this woman and asked her who the young man was, but she would not tell us. These things we testify." The assembly believed them, because they were elders of the people and judges; and they condemned her to death. Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and said, "O eternal God, who dost discern what is secret, who art aware of all things before they come to be, thou knowest that these men have borne false witness against me. And now I am to die! Yet I have done none of the things that they have wickedly invented against me!" The Lord heard her cry. And as she was being led away to be put to death, God aroused the holy spirit of a young lad named Daniel; and he cried with a loud voice, "I am innocent of the blood of this woman." All the people turned to him, and said, "What is this that you have said?" Taking his stand in the midst of them, he said, "Are you such fools, you sons of Israel? Have you condemned a daughter of Israel without examination and without learning the facts? Return to the place of judgment. For these men have borne false witness against her."
Then all the people returned in haste. And the elders said to him, "Come, sit among us and inform us, for God has given you that right." And Daniel said to them, "Separate them far from each other, and I will examine them." When they were separated from each other, he summoned one of them and said to him, "You old relic of wicked days, your sins have now come home, which you have committed in the past, pronouncing unjust judgments, condemning the innocent and letting the guilty go free, though the Lord said, `Do not put to death an innocent and righteous person.' Now then, if you really saw her, tell me this: Under what tree did you see them being intimate with each other?" He answered, "Under a mastic tree." And Daniel said, "Very well! You have lied against your own head, for the angel of God has received the sentence from God and will immediately cut you in two." Then he put him aside, and commanded them to bring the other. And he said to him, "You offspring of Canaan and not of Judah, beauty has deceived you and lust has perverted your heart. This is how you both have been dealing with the daughters of Israel, and they were intimate with you through fear; but a daughter of Judah would not endure your wickedness. Now then, tell me: Under what tree did you catch them being intimate with each other?" He answered, "Under an evergreen oak." And Daniel said to him, "Very well! You also have lied against your own head, for the angel of God is waiting with his sword to saw you in two, that he may destroy you both."

Then all the assembly shouted loudly and blessed God, who saves those who hope in him. And they rose against the two elders, for out of their own mouths Daniel had convicted them of bearing false witness; and they did to them as they had wickedly planned to do to their neighbour; acting in accordance with the law of Moses, they put them to death. Thus innocent blood was saved that day.

***************************************

The short stories in the two chapters from Daniel may have originally been about some other Daniel or Daniels different from the hero of the main part of the book. The last two chapters of the Book of Daniel are not part of the Jewish canon of Scripture. The texts exist now only in Greek, but probably were first composed in Hebrew or Aramaic. They do not appear in non-Catholic bibles either. However, the Catholic Church has always included them among the inspired writings. They contain two famous stories, one of Susanna, who was falsely accused of adultery, and the other of the events which led to Daniel being thrown into the lions’ den. A certain prudery has often led to the Susanna story being dropped or substituted by a more innocuous text. (Or worse, being dropped because of its length by those celebrants who think that that the only good liturgy is a short one!)

Saturday in the Fourth Week of Lent

2010-03-20T07:46:00.001-06:00

GOSPEL (John 7:40-53)

When they heard these words, some of the people said, "This is really the prophet."
Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?"
So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. The officers then went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why did you not bring him?" The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this man!"
The Pharisees answered them, "Are you led astray, you also? Have any of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, who do not know the law, are accursed."
Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, "Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?"
They replied, "Are you from Galilee too? Search and you will see that no prophet is to rise from Galilee." They went each to his own house.

The three stages theory

2010-03-15T01:01:00.005-06:00

In its purest form, Theoria is considered as the 'beholding', 'seeing' or 'vision' of God. Theoria is associated with the ascetic tradition called hesychasm and plays a central role in the transformative process called theosis, considered the quintessential purpose and goal of Christianity. Within Eastern Orthodox theology it refers to the state of illumination in which one becomes aware of God on the path to theosis where one beholds God face to face. In one sense, it is obtained by means of contemplative prayer resulting from the cultivation of watchfulness achieved by the purity of heart that is no longer subject to the afflictions of the passions. Theoria is given as a gift from the Holy Spirit to those who through observance of the commandments of God and ascetic practices have achieved dispassionand clarity of vision. The purpose and goal of human life is to attain theosis or 'deification' understood as 'likeness to' or 'union with' God. This transformation results from leading a pure life, practicing restraint and adhering to the commandments putting the love of God before all else. According to the standard ascetic formulation of this process, there are three stages: The first stage is catharsis or purification. The second stage is Theoria or illumination. The third stage is theosis or deification also referred to as union with God.

The Fourth Sunday of Lent

2010-03-14T09:17:00.001-06:00

GOSPEL (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32)

At that time: The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." So he told them this parable: "There was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.' And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants." And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to make merry. Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant. And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.' But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, 'Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!'

And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'

Tuesday in the Third Week of Lent

2010-03-09T06:45:00.003-07:00

GOSPEL (Matthew 18:21-35)
Peter came up and said to Jesus, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?"

Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

"Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, `Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.

"But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, `Pay what you owe.' So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, `Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt.

"When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place.

"Then his lord summoned him and said to him, `You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt.

"So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."

Monday in the Third Week of Lent

2010-03-08T06:42:00.000-07:00

GOSPEL (Luke 4:24-30)
When Jesus had come to Nazareth, he said to the people in the Synagogue: "Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; and Eli'jah was sent to none of them but only to Zar'ephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."

When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath.And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong. But passing through the midst of them he went away.

Friday (03/05): Hear another parable...

2010-03-05T06:39:00.000-07:00

Gospel Reading: Matthew 21:33-46
33 "Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; 35 and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. 37 Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, `They will respect my son.' 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, `This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' 39 And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" 41 They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons." 42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures: `The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it." 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 But when they tried to arrest him, they feared the multitudes, because they held him to be a prophet.

Thursday in the First Week of Lent

2010-02-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

GOSPEL (Matthew 7:7-12)
Jesus said to his disciples, "Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

"Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?

"If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

"So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets. "

Reflection on Ordination by Quinn G. Caldwell

2010-02-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

Reflection on Ordination by Quinn G. Caldwell
"The angel said to those who were standing before him, 'Take off his filthy clothes.' . . . they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with apparel . . . 'Now listen, Joshua, high priest, you and your colleagues who sit before you!'" Excerpt from Zechariah 3:1-10
Zechariah has a vision of a heavenly ordination, in which God makes Joshua high priest. It is short and sweet (seminarians planning their own ordinations take note: it is NOT four hours long), consisting mostly of a pronouncement of forgiveness for sins, a change of clothes, and a charge.
Perhaps Zechariah also witnessed another one of God's favorite ordinations to the priesthood: yours. Protestants proclaim the priesthood of all believers, which means that every person who loves and longs for God is, for us, a priest. Our baptisms are our ordinations.
In case you forgot the job description, here's what priests do:
They point to God in the ordinary things of the world, like water and bread and babies.
They say words of power to change the world , words like "You are beloved," "Peace be with you," " God bless you ."
They make sacrifices to please God, like sending money to Haiti instead of going to the mall, like working in the soup kitchen instead of playing Wii all day.
They show up at births and deaths, at weddings and funerals, at sickbeds and prisons, to pray and bless and make sure the people know that they are not alone.
Here's what priests do: they help the world know that God is alive, that blessings abound, that love will win. It's what you were ordained for; now go for it.

Spiritual Work with 'undoing' as with 'doing'

2010-02-12T15:21:00.004-07:00

It is not possible for us ordinary folks to avoid some hard questions that arise from tragedies such as earthquakes, or tsunamis or fires, other catastrophic events. On top of these, we are interrogated by atheists or just anyone about how it is possible that there is a God of love who is all powerful if he let these things happen. The scale of the sufferings and tears put our hearts asunder.

The question I received recently: "How can a person avoid suffering? Is it possible to create a better world free of these downsides?"
There's much explanation that can be given to this and of every type, but really, if you felt that the sufferings from such catastrophic events all come from the Creator, you’d already feel better. Some say it is psychological problem, really. Well, there will be more questions like 'why do innocent children have cancer, other incurable diseases? Is this not injustice from the Creator? what is the purpose of a baby dying or having a severe disease? does the soul gain experience from it and is there any meaning in it?' and many more of them. In this enormous world, we must realize that we can find answers to the extent a person or a collective civilization develops only. We do not believe that there are so called easy answers to the great questions like the above. But, the good news is so simple that our focus must be on spiritual work, and this is as much concerned with undoing as with doing. Though some may disagree initially with this answer, but when all is said and done, we all agree to this fact.

Which scriptures are INSPIRED and which are not?

2010-01-20T06:00:00.001-07:00

The question is: which scriptures are INSPIRED and which are not?

The HLT(Holy Light Temple) believes that the individual person, male or female is the final authority on any matter of belief. Scriptures can therefore only be seen as a rough framework to assist in one's individual spiritual exploration. It would take several thousands of years and the process of history to compile and provide as inspirational material such as scriptures and call them INSPIRED. The key is to enlive the scriptures. Some people have the habit of pointing out contradictions, and these folks engage their time and minds in planning verbal attacks on the others who have absolutely the correct interpretation, which is almost often the unadopted or unpublicized version for reasons of being categorized as heretic.

Being esoterically-minded we do tend not to interpret the scriptures for verbatim in English or in the roman-catholic tradition literally. Several articles are written everywhere on the internet for those who can grasp quickly. Others, I would strongly recommend a distance learning program. I can recommend a few courses for anyone based on one’s suitable situation. It is unfortunate that most people misinterpret the NT in such a way that they miss the real aspects contained within. By this, I mean to say that it is possible that a stone mason, or a construction worker can have a better grasp of the same scriptures than a scientist or an engineer. Of course, it is no body to blame, but the process of history itself. Well, by now you must have had a close idea of what I'm trying to convey: it is not about which scriptures are INSPIRED and which are not; but instead which scriptures inspires YOU, and which does not?

Interesting interview with Bishop Joe...

2010-01-14T05:55:00.001-07:00

Interesting interview with Bishop Joe...

PM: Dear Rev. Dr. Joe, I agree to all what you say but on 3 points. I think the Apostolic Successions comes from human institutional practices that have been exalted higher than the holy inspired scriptures (OT & NT). Firstly, I wrote to you some time back showing from scriptures that human succession in appointing bishops (Paul appointed Timothy, Titus) was shown in scriptures as a PATTERN.

Bishop Joe: Brother Paul-- I am not referring to any human successions. The subject of our discussion is spiritual lineage or apostolic successions and not human successions.

PM: Not a must, but since Holy Spirit can also work in a person's life to make him an apostle, directly, as was in the case of Paul, in our context for bishop, deacons not apostles any more.

Bishop Joe: The person can and must be guided by the Holy Spirit. The 'workings' are seen and proven. In the earlier pre-Christian fathers’ days, it was quite visible as in the case of Paul. Paul's successions are different since it does not come from the person of Jesus while on earth. And of course, if someone invites me for receiving Paul's successions I certainly will think about it and consider based on the situations. This applies to all other known successions. What is an apostolic succession after all? Ultimately it comes to us as a Blessing!

PM: So, the specific human appointing is nothing more significant than by the Holy Spirit himself?

Bishop Joe: No, human appointing takes place after much scrutiny, proving, and after acceptance: the actual act of Consecration takes place for a Bishop and/or Ordination for a Priest only after much later. This generally must take place within a three month period from the apostolic acceptance letter. Canons of most churches have that particular time period; some may vary due to traveling conditions. St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Pt. I-II, Q. 103. A. 4: “All ceremonies are professions of faith, in which the interior worship of God consists. Now man can make profession of his inward faith, by deeds as well as by words: and in either profession, if he makes a false declaration, he sins mortally.”

And sorry, your understanding of the Holy Spirit is rather poor. You said: Holy Spirit himself. The Holy Spirit is divine, and is feminine in gender. It is called Ruach in Hebrew. Another word is Divine Sophia. The administering of the Sacrament of Holy Orders is and must be done during breaking of bread and wine. That is the Eucharist. The ordaining Bishop is a medium of the Holy Spirit. The process is pneumatic.

PM: Secondly, even Timothy, Titus were appointed as bishop / elders who would have appointed further bishops/ elders, hence it must be called bishopric succession and there was NOTHING TO "TRANSMIT" except the word and doctrine, NO powers at all, ELSE show me a scripture verse. Is there anything different that you intend to transmit?

Bishop Joe: Sorry, Your thinking is wrong here too. Again, everyone knows those successions from Paul are Pauline successions, not from Jesus Christ. You must learn to prioritize first. Read 1 Peter 3:22. Appointing is one thing, and consecration is another. The importance is for Consecration. Once appointed, the candidate may or may not live up to the day of his ordination or consecration; as some hurdle could possibly even be a hindrance to actually receiving it. There are Sacramental powers and Jurisdictional powers associated with becoming a Bishop. Our focus must always be on the Sacramental powers. Read Ephesians 6:12 --"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Or, another translation of the same verses: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." There is no need to TRANSMIT the word and doctrine, because if someone has reached at the level of being consecration, one already knows that so well, and need not be spelled out further. Also, in today's world it is so commonly available in the books, prints, and internet and just about anywhere in the world. Read about Principalities, and Powers. There are many scriptural verses both in OT and NT. Read Ephesians 3:10 –“To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly [places] might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.

PM: So why the 21 lines of apostolic succession alone? As per scriptures it could be any church that follows the NT or anyone who is led by the Holy Spirit (say evangelists, teachers, and preachers) who have powers to appoint elders/ bishops. Agree?

Bishop Joe: Brother Paul, until now only 22 lines are discovered as it appeared in the process of history. Again, we are talking of apostolic succession tracing a bishop's succession to Jesus while on earth. At least, that is my focus. To me, and my ecclesia I go through the portal of Jesus. You can choose your portal to be Saint Paul if you like, or just about anyone. It your adult choice that you make in life.

PM: You say: "The word "sanctorum" in the phrase "communio sanctorum" can also be translated as referring not to holy persons, but also to holy things, namely the blessings that the holy persons share with each other, including their faith, the sacraments and the other spirituals graces and gifts they have as Christians" Agreed. Yes as per the scriptures the gifts aren’t for selfish purposes at all but given for the edification of the body of Christ which is not possible without fellowship so that the church grows into the stature of Christ, the head(Eph 4:13).

Bishop Joe: In today's world, there are a growing number of smaller church groups and fellowships all over the world. People use outreach ministries, home churches, internet preaching, website listings, blog sites, and many types / channels to reach the souls, minds and hearts of people. Regardless, for sacramental purposes, this must be administered in person live. I prefer to call head, only GOD alone. Paul used this phrase stature of Christ, the head from a Hebrew phrase-word called GODHEAD. Also, called as Monad in theosophical terms. There is a Triad also. This is called Trinity later on in Christianity.

PM: However whatever gifts, power anyone claims to have outside of the revealed inspired scriptures (OT & NT) is STRICTLY EXCLUDED from the communion of saints.

Bishop Joe: Sorry I disagree. You are wrong here. Read about Principalities, and Powers in OLD and NEW Testament. Saint Paul has written about these, so read his verses if you feel that his writings appeal more to you.

PM: With such, one needs to exercise caution and separation (excommunication) if need be. Agree?

Bishop Joe: The practice of excommunication is purported by the Roman Catholic Church much more than any other church groups, which are rather smaller in structure. The process and act of excommunication is either a declaration or automatic, and nothing else. It affects and damages reputation of clergy who are unmarried and is a professional priest or professional bishop within a mainstream church organization's jurisdiction. The jurisdictional powers are taken away at excommunication, but sacramental powers remain. When a bishop's or priest's focus is on sacramental or spiritual life and workings, almost often you will find other peers and senior bishops who are disgruntled, and cause reason to disrupt or damage the good Bishop or priest's workings. This is so common in every field of life. This is one of the reasons why, it is so better to believe in independent priesthood, and remain non-professional clergy. When I say, non-professional I mean: not extracting fees for services required of clergy, or depending on income from clergyhood. For making a living and supporting a family, one must depend on one's education and skills and employment in the secular field. This is the most honest way and responsible way to be a clergy person, or Instruments of Service.

PM: You say one needs to base communion on scriptures that you feel comfortable with… --- It is not which scriptures I'm comfortable with; it’s not a matter of choice. The question is which scriptures are INSPIRED and which are not. Agree?

Bishop Joe: This is a very good question, but needs a longer explanation. I will answer this on my blog for you later on. Please check back to see later on: http://www.bishopjoe.blogspot.com/

PM: I also have another specific question. Do you also believe in the bishopric being revoked for any reason or it is an irrevocable one?

Bishop Joe: It is irrevocable while on earth. Regardless. It is the only strongest Sacrament that people even generally FEAR to take. The reason is, it has its studied effects. Don't ask me to get more specific on this one.

Glossary of Terms and Principles

2010-01-13T05:06:00.000-07:00

What's this blog article for? ... to help keep all our widespread readers, individuals or families, and others better get self-connected with their preconceived concepts and know where one stands. We must take responsibility for our decisions, and avoid blaming in others. Advice is great, but not at the expense of our self-reliance. Be open to listening to every person, be a Jew, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, etc. But, make up your own mind:

1) Do you prefer to be an independent free-thinker, worker, business person, scientist, mathematician, philosopher, architect, doctor, merchant, and be free of any authoritative dogmatic spiritual government in your individual search for the Light or the Almighty One? This is the 'Doer' category.
2) Or, do you simply prefer to be or remain by birth within an established, larger, wealthier social group where there is huge distinction between the clergy and laity? This is the 'Follower' category.

Well, if you chose to be in the first category, then read on below, and see the definitions that fit best for you as termed by the Roman Church.
This glossary of terms and principles will hopefully provide a quick aid to those unfamiliar with some of the phrases, topics or principles that are frequently discussed by many people these days. Since these are more beneficial for those deeply rooted in the church established by the Roman State religion, this glossary of terms and principles is also a good read for all who are not interested in the dogmatically taught proclamations by the Vatican Papacy.

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Heretic – a baptized person who rejects a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church. Heretics are automatically excommunicated from the Roman Church without any declaration for rejecting an authoritative teaching of the Faith.
Pope Leo XIII, Satis Cognitum (# 9), June 29, 1896: “No one who merely disbelieves in all (these heresies) can for that reason regard himself as a Catholic or call himself one. For there may be or arise some other heresies, which are not set out in this work of ours, and, if any one holds to a single one of these he is not a Catholic.”
Pope St. Pius X, Editae Saepe (# 43), May 26, 1910: “It is a certain, well-established fact that no other crime so seriously offends God and provokes His greatest wrath as the vice of heresy.”

Schismatic – a baptized person who refuses communion with a true pope or with true Catholics. Schismatics are almost always also heretics. Schismatics also incur automatic excommunication.

Apostate – a baptized person who doesn’t merely deny one or more truths of the Catholic Faith, but gives up the Christian Faith altogether. Apostates also incur automatic excommunication.

Antipope – a false claimant to be the pope (i.e. a false claimant to be the Bishop of Rome). There have been over 40 antipopes in Church history, including some who reigned in Rome. There has been a lot of debate that the Vatican II revolution was brought in by men who are and were antipopes falsely posing as true popes.

Traditional Roman Catholic – a person who is simply a Roman Catholic who adheres to the Catholic Faith of all times, who adheres to all the dogmas proclaimed by popes, and the traditional rites of the Roman church.

Ex Cathedra – Latin for “from the Chair.” This refers to when a pope speaks infallibly from the Chair of St. Peter when he has fulfilled the conditions for an infallible pronouncement. It is heresy and mortal sin to deny an ex cathedra pronouncement of a pope, which is irreformable (unchangeable), since it constitutes the dogma that Christ revealed to the Church.
Pope Pius IX, Vatican Council I, 1870, Session 4, Chap. 4: “…the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra [from the Chair of Peter], that is, when carrying out the duty of the pastor and teacher of all Christians in accord with his supreme apostolic authority he explains a doctrine of faith or morals to be held by the universal Church, through the divine assistance promised him in blessed Peter, operates with that infallibility with which the divine Redeemer wished that His Church be instructed in defining doctrine on faith and morals; and so such definitions of the Roman Pontiff from himself, but not from the consensus of the Church, are unalterable.”

Vatican II – a council which took place from 1962-1965. Vatican II purported to be a general council of the Roman Catholic Church, but actually was a revolutionary “robber council” which taught doctrines condemned by the original Catholic Church. Vatican II brought in a new religion, and was responsible for the incredibly rotten fruits and revolutionary changes that ensued in its aftermath.

Ecumenism – this refers to the teaching of Vatican II and the “popes” after Vatican II to respect, unite with, pray with, and esteem other religions.

But some also say that, strictly speaking, Ecumenism refers to the heretical practice to unite with Protestant and schismatic sects, while interreligious dialogue refers to the same practice with non-Christian religions.
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The usual disclaimer applies to any of these terms and principles listed here: as your Bishop, no endorsement of any content is implied! I welcome any comments and suggestions for further inclusion on this post.

Mary Magdalene in Christian writings

2010-01-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

Mary Magdalene or Mary of Magdala commonly known as Mary Magdalene is referred to in early Christian writings as "the apostle to the apostles."

Gospel of Thomas, usually dated to the late 1st or early 2nd century, was also among the finds in the Nag Hammadi library in 1945. It has two short references to a "Mary", generally regarded as Mary Magdalene. The latter of the two describes the sentinent towards female members of the early church: Simon Peter said to them: Let Mary go forth from among us, for women are not worthy of the life. Jesus said: Behold, I shall lead her, that I may make her male, in order that she also may become a living spirit like you males. For every woman who makes herself male shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Gospel of Philip, dating from the 2nd or 3rd century, survives in part among the texts found in Nag Hammadi. In a manner very similar to John 19:25-26, the Gospel of Philip presents Mary Magdalene among Jesus' female entourage, adding that she was his companion: There were three who always walked with the Lord: Mary, his mother, and her sister, and Magdalene, the one who was called his companion. His sister, his mother and his companion were each a Mary.

The Eastern Orthodox Church maintains that Mary Magdalene, distinguished from Mary of Bethany and the "sinful woman", had been a virtuous woman all her life, even before her conversion. They have never celebrated her as a penitent. This view finds expression both in her written life and in the liturgical service in her honor that is included in the Menaion and performed on her annual feast-day. There is a tradition that Mary Magdalene led so chaste a life that the devil thought she might be the one who was to bear Christ into the world, and for that reason he sent the seven demons to trouble her.

U.S. News and World Reports: Few characters in the New Testament have been so sorely miscast as Mary Magdalene, whose reputation as a fallen woman originated not in the Bible but in a sixth-century sermon by Pope Gregory the Great. Not only is she not the repentant prostitute of legend, meditating and levitating in a cave, but she was not necessarily even a notable sinner: Being possessed by "seven demons" that were exorcised by Jesus, she was arguably more victim than sinner. And the idea, popularized by The Da Vinci Code, that Mary was Jesus' wife and bore his child, while not totally disprovable, is the longest of long shots.

Since the late 6th century, Mary Magdalene has been misidentified in the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church as an adulteress and repentant prostitute. Pope Gregory the Great made a speech in 591 where he seemed to combine the actions of three women mentioned in the New Testament and also identified an unnamed woman as Mary Magdalene. In 1969 the Vatican, without commenting on Pope Gregory's reasoning, officially separated Luke's sinful woman, Mary of Bethany, and Mary Magdala.

Many other speculations, both in antiquity and in modern times, have emerged regarding Mary, including claims that she was Jesus' wife or even a prostitute. Mary Magdalene was the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Tradition has labeled her a prostitute, but there is nothing in the Bible to support this view and much to dispute it. Magdala, a town on the western shore of the Lake of Tiberias, is described in the New Testament both in the canon and in the apocrypha. Nothing is known about her outside of Scripture. Her feast day is July 22. Mary Magdalene appears with more frequency than other women in the canonical Gospels and is shown as being a close follower of Jesus. Mary's presence at the Crucifixion and Jesus's tomb, while hardly conclusive, is at least consonant with the role of grieving wife and widow, although if that were the case Jesus might have been expected to make provision for her care as well as for his mother Mary. Given the lack of contemporary documentation, this scenario cannot be proven, and although some consider the idea desirable to believe, most scholars do not take it seriously.

The Sacrament of Baptism

2010-01-11T09:22:00.008-07:00

Yesterday, Jan 10, 2010, as we all know was the day that commemorated Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptizer. Let us take a closer look at what the core basics are here in this ritual leaving aside membership and jurisdictional benefits of church groups and individuals.

The sacrament of Baptism is the first or initiatory sacrament, also known as the Baptism of Water because it employs the element of water and can be received preferably when one has reached the age of reason, but infant Baptisms, using a simpler formula, are permissible as seen commonly among Catholics and many other esoteric churches today.

This ritual is used in almost every religion, culture and seen throughout history breaking all geographic barriers. So the roots of a Baptism ritual go well beyond just Christian introduction of Baptism, which in the medieval era of history, and even now as commonly heard of in some cultures are mistaken to be known as forced acts of conversion. It is also known as a minor exorcism that is basic in its formula, and that need no significant effort level from the recipient at the ritual. You can clearly see this act or ritual even in Hindu cultures when sprinkling of Holy Water is done on particular space, people and things to ward off evil energies.

The effects of Baptism can be seen as liberation of the body and soul from the dominion of the archons, under which they fell at physical birth. That is, the somatic body and psyche are washed off thoroughly and cleaned by this ritual of Baptism. The ritual of Baptism also washes away actual faults which the person may have committed prior to baptism. Strangely, this is a primary Sacrament that remains with the person even when one is excommunicated from any particular exoteric or esoteric church group. Baptism also joins an angel to the baptized soul, and facilitates the entry and exit of the soul from the body. It is this sacrament that affords us entry into the stream of Divine Channel or knowledge of GOD. It is administered by a priest or deacon who is the usual minister of Baptism, but in an emergency anyone may and should baptize the other with clean water (also called Mikveh water) taken from a 'running source'. When the formula is provided by a Bishop along with the blessed Holy Water, with the authorization of the Bishop and the right intention of the individual, one can also self-perform the ritual based on circumstances provided it is performed completely, correctly, and the person is in sound mind and consciousness.

A baptized adult person should participate diligently in sacred practices, particularly the Holy Eucharist. Such a person should also continue to study the sacred scriptures and continuously seek more of the Divine.

Readings for Reflection

2010-01-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

Readings for Reflection

Acts 10:34-38
Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered in the house of Cornelius, saying:
“In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him. You know the word that he sent to the Israelites as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

Gospel
Lk 3:15-16, 21-22
The people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

The All Saints Accord

2010-01-09T11:42:00.008-07:00

It is very rare in the annals of history that you can see a new concept such as this, where most of the scholarly learned Bishops in the valid apostolic successions agree, as to spread love, benediction and service, with each having their own innovative and advanced esoteric spiritual practices. The All Saints Accord posted here is published as a Living Document in the year 2010. I believe this document will evolve and grow in time. Let us all hope so. The original 2006 document was established and is held by Msgr. Jordan Straford with 2009 additions taken from Bishop Langley. Here is a brief introduction from the monsignor:

What it isn't: It's not a concordat, a standing committee, treaty or an organization.
What it is: It's a survey. Who here supports the following ideas as self-evident, and who does not?;
* That we honor our common heritage
* That we do not deny the sacraments to someone from another Church
* That we as clergy are all here to serve the people
Why it's special: Because it's unilateral – this isn't an agreement between Churches amongst themselves, this is a declaration that "I welcome you even if you don't welcome me". It's caritas in praxis, leaving Church X free to disagree and exclude while Church Y includes and welcomes. Which position would you rather your church take?
Why sign?: Because the Bishops have taken a solemn vow to serve the whole church, and it's the right thing to do.
Why not sign?: Because the non-signatory does not agree with the principles, or they didn't understand them, or has been to busy to sign them but will get around to it eventually. Or perhaps that the vow to serve the whole church was somehow equivocated to serving just one little corner of it. Ego? Disorganization? Territoriality? Who knows? Ask your bishops if they'll sign it.What we do know is that below are Bishops from Churches who recognize that we are one and are committed to building on our common heritage and moving forward. We all of us owe them our thanks for their exemplary leadership and service.

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The All Saints Accord
Recognizing the true face of Gnosis in the brothers and sisters of each of our Church communities and acknowledging our common heritage in the One Apostolic Succession through which the Master has promised to be present to his Church until the end of time, we the undersigned Bishops of the Gnostic Church in its myriad forms, do affirm and commit to uphold the following principles:
1. The right to open participation and veneration of the Sacred and Divine in its traditional and contemporary forms irrespective of social status, organizational affiliation, gender, sexual orientation and creed.
2. The common bond shared by all active Apostolic Gnostic Churches in liturgical ministry through the agency of the one Apostolic Succession and thereby the validity and value of the Sacramental and Liturgical ministry maintained by those same active Apostolic Gnostic Churches when conducted in an ethical and upright manner.
3. The invitation to all members of the Gnostic Church, and indeed all spiritually minded people, to partake of our communities, free of all obligation but Respect and Charity.

Signatories:
Bishop +Anthony Angelo, Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica Hermetica
Bishop Dr. +William Behun, Apostolic Johannite Church
Bishop +Gerald del Campo, Thelemic Gnostic Church of Alexandria
Bishop +Kenneth J. Canterbury,Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica Hermetica
Bishop +John Gilbert, Universal Gnostic Church
Bishop +Allen Greenfield, Assembly of the Knowledge and Wisdom of Solomon
Bishop Dr. +Lewis Keizer, The Home Temple
Bishop +Thomas Langley, The Alexandrian Gnostic Church
Bishop +Valdiveso Paschal Matthews,Oriental Apostolic Church of Damcar and the Ecclesia Gnostica Joanita
Bishop +Shaun McCann, Apostolic Johannite Church
Bishop +Rosamonde Miller*, Ecclesia Gnostica Mysteriorum
Bishop Dr. +Joe J. Payyapilly,The Holy Light Temple: One-Holy-Catholic-Apostolic-Ecclesia
Bishop +Christine Payne-Towler, Gnostic Church of Mary Magdalene

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*Bishop Miller expressed her support for the principles of the Accord but chose instead to use personal rather than ecclesiastical language.

Rule of thumb!

2010-01-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

I waited all day until sun dusk today to provide my readers this Golden message.

Silence, like GOD, is indivisible!

Spiritual Calendar 2010

2010-01-07T15:08:00.003-07:00

Many of us are window shopping when it comes to spirituality and wisdom. There is an old adage that: A good teacher will never argue with the student. When the student is ready, the teacher will be there.

We are simply not willing to work or to believe or to be confident in our capability. Or we’re just not ready yet. You never know how much time you have left in this lifetime. It is always good to be sure you live every day as if it were your last.

You can print your 2010 calendar for this year by clicking on the image below. All the Best!

Astrological Effects and Nine-Planets combination

2010-01-06T10:45:00.003-07:00

There is a particular 9-gemstones combination sequenced appropriately that is designed to ward off negative energies, evil spirits and their effects and to strengthen the positive influences that the nine planets and their respective gemstones deliver. Basically it is a spiritual tool in its whole make-up for the person(s) within its ontic sphere. One can also wear it in expectation of good health, mind, spirit, prosperity, increased happiness and peace of mind. When worn at the right time by a spiritual person for the right intent, it works as a powerhouse for healing purposes or a disease cure, as these gemstones have been used from time immemorial as remedy by theosophical experts for their astrological impacts of planets, for healings, for exorcisms, for meditation, for theurgical operations, as medicines and in jewelry. Since many have asked for it, I attached some excerpts as reading material for your reading pleasure only. Given below is information on the ruling planets of the nine gems and the benefits of each gemstone. As for my own Bishop's Ring, it was made for the same reasons and more, especially, since the engraved design with the gemstones is modeled after the Christian Mandala or Kalachakra as the highest symbols familiar to western initiates with the integration of the nine gemstones of the east. For a Bishop / Templar, as myself, it serves as a symbolism of all historically extant lines of legal and valid Apostolic Succession from the Master Jesus, as transmitted in the Holy Orders of the Sacramental Priesthood / Episcopate. These lineages include the Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, and Syrian-Antiochene, each flowing through the Apostle Peter, as well as Coptic, Armenian, Greek Orthodox, Greek Melchite, Syro-Chaldaean, Chaldaean Uniate, Anglican, Irish, Welsh, French Non-Juring Bishops, Mariavite, Russian Orthodox, Syrian-Malabar, Syrian-Gallican, and Corporate Reunion. They also include the clandestine Gnostic Apostolic Heritage & lineage of the French Templars dating from the twelfth century. There are only a handful of living individuals who hold such position worldwide. So, it has much meaning and spiritual thought to its making here. It is a Bishop's Ring, that symbolizes a Philosopher’s Stone, an Elixir, or Amritha that transforms the lower into the Higher, expands the crystallized or contracted Heart-consciousness, and mediates inspiration, guidance, selfless service, and Divine Love.

Above all, one must remember that astrological effects and Nine-Planets combination technique, can only impel. It cannot compel. It is our inner mind-body temple, consciousness and connectivity of the Divine that actually works to do the wonders, healing, etc.

1) SUN REPRESENTED BY THE GEMSTONE RUBY

Our solar system revolves around the Sun and thus it is considered the most important subject as the center. The Sun is given the most important place in the gemstones - the Centre position from where it gives life-sustaining energy in the form of heat and light. The color red is associated with the Sun since it is the color of life, fire and energy. The Sun is presumed to rule the external appearance and personality of an individual. The Red Ruby helps improve a person's status in society and bestows them with energy and power over others. The astral red vibrations of the ruby help in curing diseases related to the blood, heart and other circulatory problems. It also improves a person's learning abilities and is associated with masculinity. Other than the Ruby, the secondary gems which can be used in the setting are : Red spinel, Red garnet, Rubellite and Red Tourmaline other natural dark pink or red gems.

2) VENUS REPRESENTED BY THE GEMSTONE DIAMOND

Just as the Western world believes Venus to be a feminine planet symbolizing beauty and attractiveness, so does the Eastern world associate it with physical appearance and attractiveness. A weak reception from here, gives rise to vanity, sterility, lack of refinement and rapid aging. A strong Venus in the astrological chart signifies sensuality, long-life, a good marriage and luxury. Many people in entertainment - dancers, actors, artists often have a strong Venus in their astrological charts. Sensual energy - in every area of life - is conveyed strongly by this planet. The gemstone Diamond represents this planet in the ring. Indigo is the celestial color transmitted by the Diamond and other white color gems representing it. White (colorless) sapphire, white topaz, goshenites, zircons, colorless quartz, quartz crystals and other colorless gemstones with clear transparency are ruled by Venus. Some colorless gems having a tinge of other colors like pink, yellow and blue - these are acceptable as long as the primary color of gemstone is white or colorless.

3) MOON REPRESENTED BY THE GEMSTONE PEARL

The faint pearly light of the Moon is reflected in the color of the gemstone representing this graha. It has been proven scientifically that the Moon affects water patterns on earth and even inside a person's body. The Moon is a feminine vibration and is associated with romance, love, sentiment, motherhood. A weak moon reception leads to problems related to water (or body fluids) mental and emotional problems such as frequent depressive attacks, over-sensitivity. The color white is associate with the moon. Placing the Pearl in the ring strengthens the mental faculties of an individual, it also make a person emotionally stronger and stable and wealthy. The Pearl is said to exude Orange color vibrations, which are cooling in nature. The Pearl is the primary gemstone in the ring, but the other options of gemstones are Moonstones and White corals, which can be used instead of Pearls.

4) MARS REPRESENTED BY THE RED CORAL

Although in an ill-balanced Mars can have dire consequences - most people with an ill influence on their astrological charts have a fiery temper and are prone to anger attacks at the slightest provocation. Marriageable girls and boys with Mangal influence get married either very early or after 29 years of age and most of them will get married to a person who also has a Mangal influence in their astrological charts. The Mars planet is an intense energetic planet, which bestows great energy, strength, courage, passion to the person. A balanced Mars makes a person cultured having cordial relations with everyone and the planet makes good soldiers, politicians and sportspersons. A negatively placed Mars will impart an angry temperament, over reactive, impatient, aggressive nature. The person tends towards violence and becomes prone to blood-related problems ranging from boils to anaemia - depending on the severity of the negative influence of the planet. Mars is represented by the color Red and red color gemstones vibrate to Yellow color in the astral chart. Red Corals are mounted in the ring to transmit the positive power of the planet Mars to the wearer. The other red, pink or orangish-red stones also used in the ring are Carnelians, Red Bloodstones.

5) NORTH NODE OF THE MOON REPRESENTED BY THE GEMSTONE HESSONITE

The negative influence of this planet can be very strong and causes a range of problems - from frustrations, supernatural influences, abuse to contagious diseases and suicidal tendencies. On the other hand, the positive power of Rahu can help in acquiring wealth and good fortune. This graha also rules originality, inspiration and scientific temperament. Orange and brownish-orange gems are associated with Rahu and they carry positive vibrations of this graha to an individual's destiny and these gems are assumed to transmit Ultra-violet rays.

Hessonite is the main gemstone placed in the Navaratna to channelise Rahu's energy to the wearer, however other brownish-orange stones like Orange zircon, spessartite and other orange garnets can also be used instead of Hessonite.

6) SATURN REPRESENTED BY THE BLUE SAPPHIRE

The Blue Sapphire symbolizes the planet Saturn in the ring. This planet is said to bring bad luck for 7 to 14 years and if ill-balanced in the astrological chart, it can cause nervous disorders, mental and emotional imbalances. Since Saturn is a slow-moving planet, its negative influences last for a long time and cause death also. All events and plans get delayed if it is in a negative place. It governs death, suffering, poverty and travel. A positive Saturn leads to a prosperous, virtuous long-life with conscientiousness and common sense. The Blue Sapphire and other blue stones are believed to transmit the color Violet in the cosmic chart. Blue is the color symbolic of Saturn and wearing the Blue sapphire can fortify the wearer's nervous system and protect them while traveling. The Blue gemstone in the ring helps reduce the ill-effects of Saturn. The other blue or violet gems which can be used in lieu of the Blue Sapphire are blue spinels, tanzanite, indicolite, blue tourmaline, iolite, amethyst.

7) SOUTH NODE OF THE MOON REPRESENTED BY THE GEMSTONE CAT'S EYE

This stone's position is not a planet but a node of the moon. It too exerts powerful influences on a person's destiny and if placed incorrectly in the Astrological chart, it can lead to poverty, suffering, cause life-threatening diseases likes cancers, gambling on a losing streak, etc. This rules mysticism, religion and occult. A positive reception can influence a person's spiritual life and grants intuitive powers. Some people even benefit from gambling if their reception is favorable.

Cat's Eye, transmits the cosmic color Infra-Red and its yellowish-brown color conducts the positive vibrations to the wearer. The cosmic color Infra-red also assists in preventing and curing in illnesses such as Cancer, Paralysis, digestive problems etc. Other secondary gemstones used to represent it in the ring are Chrysoberyl, beryl, apatite, tourmaline and other similar yellow to greenish-brown gems which display a strong "cat's eye" light reflection.

8) JUPITER REPRESENTED BY THE GEMSTONE YELLOW SAPPHIRE

Yellow is the color of Jupiter and the yellow gemstones transmit light blue rays, which are very cooling. It is considered to be the teacher of all mankind and this planetary position governs religion and spiritualism. A strong Jupiter in an individual's chart makes him religious, spiritually inclined and a knowledgeable person. But a strong Jupiter also makes an individual prone to anger, selfish behavior, egoistism, greed leading to unhappiness. Jupiter is the most auspicious and beneficent planet. Wealthy and influential individuals generally possess a strong Jupiter in their horoscopes. Jupiter governs spiritual orientation, monetary gains, personal happiness, and teaching. The yellow gemstones in the it can reduce the negative effects of a weak or badly-placed Jupiter. The Yellow Sapphire is the main gemstone but yellow topaz, yellow beryl (heliodor) citrines, and yellow tourmaline too are used in making it that are not too expensive.

9) MERCURY REPRESENTED BY THE GEMSTONE EMERALD

This planet rules a person's intelligence and affects his education, communication and oratory skills. It also enhances a person's ability to learn languages and allows a person to multi-task. The color associated with Mercury is Green - the color of youth, earth and nature. A well-placed Mercury ensures a good education, a flair for communication and a person who can use his hands skillfully for creative activities in addition to being quick-witted and rational. Gemstones governed by Mercury are green Emeralds (primary gemstone) and the cosmic color radiated by the Emerald and all other natural green gems is Green. Wearing the Emerald within the ring improves learning ability, memory and reduces problems related to Kidneys, intestines, liver etc. Where Emeralds are too expensive, the ring setting allows other natural green gems like Peridot, green jade, green tourmaline, Diopside, Tsavorite etc.

Bishop Joe Payyapilly's personal images taken at Shroud visit

2010-01-05T06:50:00.002-07:00

Everthing offered in this slideshow is available for free download as these are pictures taken by Bishop Joe Payyapilly from his personal visit to the Shroud of Turin in Italy.

You will find several references concerning the origins of the shroud and its image; both are the subject of intense debate among scientists, theologians, historians and researchers. Yet till this day too, both believers and skeptics are in awe of this linen cloth bearing the face image. Some speculate that the Shroud or burial cloth was part of the Templar Treasure that the Knights Templar guarded as secret for several centuries.

Image analysis by scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory found that rather than being like a photographic negative, the image unexpectedly has the property of decoding into a 3-D image of the man when the darker parts of the image are interpreted to be those features of the man that were closest to the shroud and the lighter areas of the image those features that were farthest. This is not a property that occurs in photography, and researchers could not replicate the effect when they attempted to transfer similar images using techniques of block print, engravings, a hot statue, and bas-relief.For your reading pleasure see Shroud of Turin from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Many skeptics have come and gone throughout history, ranging from conflicts in the interpretation of the evidence, but there are very few living people who know the truth of the phenomenon that occurred, that can be explained with science.

Believers through the process of history contend that the Shroud of Turin image is the Holy Face of Jesus, and use it for Meditation and Illumination purposes.

Feathers from Your Pillow

2010-01-04T09:13:00.004-07:00

Under the context of discussing the issue of negative actions, I will ask that you watch this movie called ‘Doubt’. There is a wonderful motion pictorial presentation of Father Flynn (actor Phillip Hoffman) preaching about gossip, and comparing it with feathers. If you don’t have much time, just watch that part of the movie where it has a short homily during mass. A whole bunch of feathery ‘gossips’ (negative actions) once released into the cosmic zone cannot be vacuumed back into your pillow. That means, apologizing does not remove the other person's damage or pain.

All the negative actions and all the positive actions in the world are like pillow feathers on a cosmic scale. One gossip can tip the scale, as can one positive action. Today, and gradually in the coming days of this New Year, try to avoid releasing your pillow feathers into thin air, and work on eliminating one negative trait at a time.

The birth of your Inner light!

2010-01-03T10:23:00.011-07:00

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 2 "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him." 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: 6 `And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.'" 7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; 8 and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." 9 When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; 11 and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Reflection: If Jesus truly is who he and the world claims to be, then why is he not recognized by everyone during his living years on earth (per the scriptures), by who hears his word and sees his works? Only the lowly shepherds recognized him at his birth. Some wise men (magi) also found their way to Bethlehem to pay homage to the newborn King of Israel. These men were not Israelites, but foreigners. Was that part of the plan designed by the Grand Architect of the Universe? They likely had read ancient texts and discussed the Messianic prophecies and were anxious to see when this Messianic King would appear. In their diligent search they were led to the source of knowledge – to Jesus Christ, the Light and Wisdom of God. What fueled their search for the Messianic King? A combination of Divination skills and Faith in the promise of God to send a Redeemer, a King who would establish God's reign of peace and righteousness. Faith is an entirely free gift that God makes to us. It is through the help of the Holy Spirit (also called Divine Sophia), who moves the heart and opens the eyes of the mind, that we are able to understand, accept, and believe the truth which God reveals to us. In faith, the human will and intellect cooperate with grace.

"Believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace" (Thomas Aquinas).

To know and to encounter Jesus esoterically is to know God personally. Do you bring the light of Jesus to those you meet through the witness of your life and testimony?

The message is again clear: By living consciously and constantly remaining in the Light, we become aware of the meaning of our experiences. May this New Year ahead inspire you to consciously experience the birth of your inner Light!

On the Wings of Prayer

2010-01-02T08:22:00.000-07:00

We all know family, friends, relatives or neighbors in difficult situations: struggling with cancer, separated from loved ones, depressed or discouraged, laid-off from a job, saddened by death or other losses. What can we say or do? "I'll pray for you", "I'll remember you at Mass", or "I'll light a candle for you" are the kind of things we might say. To those without faith those expressions might mean very little. But when those who have faith promise to pray for others, our promise is based on what we believe as: "Nothing is impossible with God"

Speaking to Ahaz, God makes the same statement: "Ask the LORD your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want-- as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead." (Isaiah 7:11)

Remember that the Almighty is slow to believe but easy to understand. When God breaks through into our ordinary, everyday lives, it can be hard to believe that it is happening. One of the lessons for you to keep in mind as we start the New Year is 'persistence' in prayer. And why? Because we believe nothing is impossible for God, we trust that God can care for others and do for them good beyond our own little conceptions.

New Year's Day Greeting

2010-01-01T10:55:00.007-07:00

Happy New Year to you!

I hope and pray all readers of this blog will know the blessing of Grand Architect of the Universe throughout 2010.

Many Bright Blessings,

Bp. JOE PAYYAPILLY†

Of the Sacraments, or Mysteries

2010-01-01T10:36:00.003-07:00

What is a sacrament? How many sacraments are there? Who has instituted the sacraments?

Many Christians do not realize that the terms mystery and mysteries are frequently used in the New Testament and carry the full sense of their original meaning of secret thing or teaching, including mystical knowledge about God, rebirth, and the afterlife. For example, Paul writes in his first letter to the Corinthians: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory. -- 2:7 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. -- 13:2 Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and this mortal must put on immortality. -- 15:51-3

At a more fundamental level, each of the three synoptic gospels --Matthew, Mark, and Luke -- uses the terms to emphasize the age-old pattern of esotericism, of inner teachings reserved for disciples in contrast to exoteric stories for the public. Matthew 13:10-17 gives perhaps the fullest expression, revealing the purpose of parable, yet re-veiling it with paradox: And the disciples came, and said to [Jesus], why do you speak to them in parables? And he answered and said to them, because to you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to them it has not been given. For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance. The better known Gospel of Thomas, a collection of Jesus' sayings which some have called a Fifth Gospel, begin with a central topic of the Mysteries: These are the secret sayings which the living Jesus spoke and which Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down. (1) And he said, "Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death."

The five initiatory sacraments (as explicitly stated in the Gospel of Philip) are: Baptism, Chrism (Confirmation), Holy Eucharist, Redemption and Bride-Chamber.

How many sacraments do the exoteric churches administer?

The Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican exoteric churches administer seven sacraments, to wit: Baptism, Confirmation (Chrismation), Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders and Matrimony. Supposedly, many Protestant bodies have reduced the number of sacraments further. All of the exoteric churches have suppressed and forgotten the two greater sacraments of the Redemption and the Bride-Chamber.

How many sacraments do the esoteric churches administer?

1. Sacrament of the Chalice (Holy Communion, the Mass, the Eucharist)

2. Sacrament of Shabbat (Sabbath, Chrism or Confirmation)

3. Sacrament of Marriage (Matrimony)

4. Sacrament of Baptism (Healing, Minor Exorcism Blessing, or Major Exorcism)

5. Sacrament of Ordination into Holy Office (Deacon, Priest, Bishop)

6. Sacrament of Last Rites (Extreme Unction, last rites)

7. Sacrament of Bride-Chamber (Funeral memorial)

What other names are used to describe the sacrament of the Redemption? Who is eligible for the sacrament of the Redemption?
APOLYTROSIS, the CONSOLAMENTUM, the Renunciation, the Baptism of Air. The intention of the sacrament of the Redemption is to deliver a person from the shackles of the Demiurge and the Archons. The effects traditionally held are: (1) It remits all of one's faults and gives one the strength not to commit grave offenses; (2) It perfects in one the change produced by the Baptism of Water; (3) It makes one the temple of the Holy Spirit; (4) By its effects we become complete Christians (PERFECTI); (5) It renews the link between one's soul and the Twin Angel or Deific Double from whom one has been separated at one's descent into the Archonic realm; (6) Finally, it assures one of one's liberation from the cycle of birth and death and thus frees one of the necessity of future embodiments on earth. Adults over twenty years of age who have been baptized and confirmed and who are diligent practitioners of Inner Christianity. (However, it is generally preferable to confer the sacrament on persons at or past mid-life.) Candidates should also demonstrate an unalterable conviction of not wishing to be re-embodied in the world.

What is the sacrament of the Bride-Chamber? What is the effect of the sacrament of the Bride-Chamber?

It is the second of the greater or esoteric sacraments, and is the final and the greatest of the initiatory sacraments. Like the Redemption, it also has been repressed by the exoteric church. It is also known as The Bridal Chamber, the Sacred Wedding (HIEROS GAMOS) and the Mystery of the Syzygies. It completes all the effects of the sacrament of the Redemption and seals them for all eternity. Particularly it unites the soul in a final union with the Twin Angel or Deific Double and similarly also unites the soul with God in the Fullness (PLEROMA). At this time in history, the sacrament of the Bride-Chamber is not conferred in earthly form, but is received by the soul in its own realm, usually after bodily death. It is not impossible, however, that the Bride-Chamber may return in earthly manifestation when God so decrees.

Therefore it is known there are five initiatory sacraments to which are added two sustaining sacraments, thus adding up to seven:

· The sacrament of Baptism,

· The sacrament of Chrism (Confirmation),

· The sacrament of Holy Eucharist,

· The sacrament of Redemption, and

· The sacrament of Bride-Chamber.

Two sustaining sacraments--

· The sacrament of Holy Orders, and

· The sacrament of Extreme Unction and Healing.

History and Pattern of Ordination / Consecration

2009-12-31T14:54:00.001-07:00

Paul asks: I went through your site and the blog and it looks good. I have some reservations on the content you have posted as you can see from the following: Firstly its interesting to note the references regarding Timothy. For that matter Titus was also appointed by Paul ( Titus 1:5) and he was specifically instructed to go and ordain more elders/ bishops in the city( Titus 1:5). The qualifying and validation criteria for bishops and elders are mentioned clearly in 1Tim 3:2-7 & repeated in Titus 1:7-9 both to Timothy and Titus. It is interesting to note that Paul appointed /ordained Timothy and Titus and commanded them to ordain more elders/bishops. So it is clear from scriptures that ordination is necessary and a clear examples has been set forth . However what is NOT mentioned in scriptures (NT) is the unbroken lineage from the apostles of Christ that you emphasize. Since Paul himself was not appointed by any apostle but by the Holy Spirit and the will of God( Acts 20:28, Col 1:1) his example is a case in hand. If it was lineage that had to be followed then Paul would have rightfully mentioned Ananias- who laid hands on Paul(Acts 9:17) or Gamaliel his Guru( Acts 22:3) as men who ordained him but you don't see that(Col 1:1. As a matter of fact there is no verse that supports lineage or unbroken succession of apostles into bishops or any special powers associated with maintaining succession. Hence scriptures give a PATTERN of ordination and specify the necessity for it but DOESN'T TEACH LINEAGE (apostolic succession) which you patronize else give me a scripture.
*******

Most Rev. Joe Payyapilly:
In addition to the comments(see already posted), I will explain it logically in simple words to you. I will put this real simple in point-wise. I have repeatedly tried to help you understand the same.

1) Firstly, Paul's claimed succession is of a different type. Of course, he has had brief sojourns(14-15 days) with Peter and James, and possibility of his consecration strongly exists. Peter was also approached by Simon Magus demanding laying on of hands. See Acts 8:9-24. Peter refused laying on of hands. Read down further below point 3. Also, Paul's successions are claimed from a mystical vision. The same applies for Doniel successions.

2) The Apostolic Constitutions is a late 4th century collection, in 8 books, of independent, though closely related, treatises on Early Christian discipline, worship, and doctrine, intended to serve as a manual of guidance for the clergy, and to some extent for the laity. It purports to be the work of the Twelve Apostles, whose instructions, whether given by them as individuals or as a body, are supposed to be gathered and handed down by the compiler, Clement of Rome, the authority of whose name gave weight to more than one such piece of early Christian literature (see also Clementine literature). Where known they were held generally in high esteem and served as the basis for much ecclesiastical legislation. They are today of the highest value as a historical document, revealing the moral and religious conditions and the liturgical observances of the 3rd and 4th centuries. They are part of the Ante-Nicene Fathers collection. The first 6 books are based on the Didascalia Apostolorum [1], a lost treatise of the third century, of Greek origin, which is known through Syriac versions. The 7th book is based on the Didache. The 8th book is a mixed compilation. The introductory chapters (i-ii) have for their foundation a treatise entitled "Teaching of the Holy Apostles concerning Gifts", possibly a lost work of Hippolytus. The 3rd chapter appears to be a work of the compiler. Chapters (iv-xlvi) present difficulties the varied solution of which divides scholars as to its sources. The last chapter (xlvii) contains the Canons of the Apostles said to be from an apostolic Council at Antioch and later approved by the Orthodox Quinisext Council in 692 but rejected by Pope Constantine. Canon #85 [2] is this list of canonical books: a 46-book Old Testament canon which essentially corresponds to that of the Septuagint, 26 books of what is now the New Testament (excludes Revelation), the Didache, two Epistles of Clement, and the Apostolic Constitutions themselves, also here attributed to Clement, at least as compiler. ALSO, READ The Catholic Encyclopedia online.

3) There are various types of successions. Isaiah successions, Daniel Successions, Rabbinic or Cohenim successions, Apostolic(Jesus) Successions, Jules Doniel Successions, St. Paul's successions, Edward Alexander Crowlian successions, Joseph Smith(Mormon) successions, Tibetan successions, Hindu successions, Chinese successions etc... There are others, but these are enough to explain it at your understanding level. Of all these, the only one that is well recorded in history, and can be traced back to 2000 years is the Apostolic Successions. Others are either very new, or broken somewhere in history, speculated, or falsified. As for me, I only claim Apostolic Succession from Jesus, because I don't have others. I certainly can identify the same in others. There are senior Bishops everywhere in the public and private world who have all kinds of successions. There are people who study Successions in great detail via scientific experiments, and can exactly point out through the energies that vibrate out from the Bishop. The differences prior to consecration and afterward, one who is consecrated can easily identify. But it is simply personal, period. I can speak of Apostolic successions and not others, it is highly significant in two ways that are visible: sacramental powers and jurisdictional powers. To explain further, I must ask what is your understanding of sacramental theology.

4) You asked why the topic of unbroken apostolic lineage is not addressed in the NT scriptures. The answer is so simple. The topic of recording unbroken lineage wasn't so difficult in those days. Everybody knew everybody. It never needed to be written down for logical purposes. There may be 2, 3 or 4 Bishop's before one Bishop's lifetime connecting them to Jesus, or one of the original apostles. Tell me, is that so difficult to remember? And, moreover, the NT were compiled and put together only by the third and fourth century. Paul's influence was mostly exoteric in nature on Christian thinking and arguably has been more significant than that of any other New Testament claimed author due to his power, and systems knowledge in the government and politics. However, Jesus was more esoteric in his teachings, though he remained public, taught men, women, walked around everywhere; his core inner-teachings, without parables were given to his closest people (closest apostles). Paul had never met Jesus in person during his lifetime. Much of the NT has been written by Paul's followers. Paul claimed almost total independence from the "mother church" in Jerusalem. Some people choose to prefer considering these to be core scriptures and not what Jesus actually taught, and Jesus' words. Almost all of these inner teachings were shunned away as heretic. Its the choice of the audience.

5) According to tradition, Paul ordained Timothy as bishop in the year 65. And, again according to tradition, Paul ordained Titus bishop in Crete. He died in the year 107, aged about 95. Titus was a companion of Paul, mentioned in several of the Pauline epistles. Titus was with Paul and Barnabas at Antioch and accompanied them to the Council of Jerusalem, although his name occurs nowhere in the Acts of the Apostles. In 1969, the Roman Catholic Church assigned the feast on 26 January so as to celebrate the two disciples of Paul, Titus and Timothy, on the day after the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul on the Road to Damascus.

6) It is worth noting, that the First of the Epistles of Clement which is commonly dated to the first century and claims to be written by the Roman Church (the chair of St. Peter and the center of the unity of the Church, according to Catholic doctrine) which was established by the Apostles presents a belief in apostolic succession as do also the Epistles of Ignatius of Antioch, who was a personal disciple of the Apostles John and Paul. Also worth noting is the fact that others beside the twelve Apostles and Saint Paul are called "Apostles" in the New Testament. Also noteworthy is the fact that the Apostle Paul, though given spiritual authority directly by Christ, did not embark on his apostleship without conferring with those who were apostles before him as he notes in his Epistle to the Galatians.

7) Remember this saying, Christians are not born, but made. Do you know who coined that phrase? Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian, (ca. 160 – ca. 220 A.D.) was a prolific and controversial early Christian Berber author, and the first to write Christian Latin literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and a polemicist against heresy. Tertullian has been called "the father of Latin Christianity". However, when he approved innovation, he did originate and advance new theology to the early Church. He is most famous for coining the term Trinity (Latin trinitas) and giving the first exposition of the formula. Other formulations that first appear in his work are "three Persons, one Substance" as the Latin "tres Personae, una Substantia" (itself from the Koine Greek "treis Hypostases, Homoousios"), and also the terms vetus testamentum ("old testament") and novum testamentum ("new testament"). Notably, some of Tertullian's innovation – "In not a few areas of theology…" – was not acceptable to the Church . In later life he became a Montanist. It was he brought the need for unbroken lineage by saying: Let them produce the original records of their churches; let them unfold the roll of their bishops, running down in due succession from the beginning in such a manner that [that first bishop of theirs] bishop shall be able to show for his ordainer and predecessor some one of the apostles, or apostolic men.

8) Catholic and Orthodox theology additionally hold that the power and authority to confect the sacraments comes from Apostolic Successions. Neither the Catholic Church nor the Orthodox churches recognize the validity of the apostolic succession of the clergy of the Protestant denominations, in large measure because of their theology of the Eucharist, as well as the abandonment of more traditional views of the sacraments and sacramentalism. This why you are having such a hard time Paul. Sorry to say that, but such knowledge and understanding comes as a gift of the Holy Spirit, or through Divine foreknowledge.

9) The early Nicene Creed of the Church, in the form given to it by the First Council of Constantinople, affirms that the Church is "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic". Of these "four marks" of the true Church, the "apostolic" mark has historically been understood principally as a reference to apostolic succession. Even so, the practice of the ancient church has also been to designate churches as apostolic, even without a succession of bishops, simply for holding to the doctrines professed by the twelve apostles and presumably aligning with the teaching of current bishops, or early Church Fathers.The literature on this traditional doctrine is substantial. Many inferences have been drawn from it. This is where you have satisfied yourself to fit within Paul.

Some Eastern Christians hold that the Roman church lost all claim to apostolic succession by an illegitimate addition to the Nicene Creed (the Filioque clause) incorporated by the Western church, which began with the teachings of Augustine. They see the rift as resulting in the loss of apostolic succession in the western churches. Papal primacy is different though related to apostolic succession as described here. The Roman Catholic Church has traditionally claimed a unique leadership role for the apostle Peter, believed to have been named by Jesus as leader of the apostles and as a focus of their unity, who became the first Bishop of Rome, and whose successors accordingly became the leaders of the worldwide Church as well. Even so Catholicism acknowledges the papacy is built on apostolic succession, not the other way around. As such, apostolic succession is seen as a foundational doctrine of authority.

10) The original texts were written by various authors sometime after c. A.D. 45, most likely in Koine Greek (according to Greek primacy), the lingua franca of the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Rylands Library Papyrus P52 is generally accepted as the earliest extant record of a canonical New Testament text, which dates somewhere between 117 A.D. and 138 A.D. In ancient times there were dozens of Christian writings claiming apostolic succession, or inspiration, for some other reason considered to have authority by some ancient churches, but which were not ultimately included in the 27-book New Testament canon. These works are considered "apocryphal", and are therefore referred to as the New Testament Apocrypha. It includes many writings unfavourable to the position of the orthodoxy, such as Gnostic writing. These apocryphal works are nevertheless important insofar as they provide an ancient context and setting for the composition of the canonical books. They also can help establish linguistic conventions common in the canonical texts. Examples of early apocryphal works are the Gospel of Thomas and the Epistle to the Laodiceans. The 4th century Codex Sinaiticus includes with the Old and New Testaments the Epistle of Barnabas and The Shepherd of Hermas. The New Testament is a collection of works, and as such was written by multiple authors. About two centuries later at the time of Tertullian and Lactantius, the phrase was being used to designate a particular collection of books that some believed embodied this new covenant. Tertullian, in the 2nd century, is the first currently known to use the terms novum testamentum / new testament and vetus testamentum/old testament. The traditional view is that all the books were written by apostles (e.g. Matthew and Paul), or disciples working under their direction (e.g. Mark and Luke). However, in modern times, with the rise of rigorous historical inquiry and textual criticism, these traditional ascriptions have been rejected, however, the traditional authors have been listed.

I hope this satisfies your doubts and clarifies your question: and helps you to know why you find it difficult to accept the fact that apostolic succession is not about advertising apostolic lineage, or making publicity of one's own lines; but instead about simple alignment of historical line of succession, doctrinal scriptures and sacramental theology; by contrast to some Protestant charismatic and restorationist movements that include title "apostles" among the offices that should be evident in modern times in "a true church", though they never trace an historical line of succession or attempt to confer, like Paul, with those who were "apostles" before them.

RE-READ MY POST NOW AGAIN--

The various powers of the Bishops:
1. "Bishops have immediate power, that is, it is not practiced via the permission of a superior. Thus bishops can never be simply delegates (agents) or vicars (representatives) but are indeed independent pastors of the flocks entrusted to them."
2. "They have power appointed by God; for the Apostles, on the grounds of Divine ordinance, whether in the immediate commission of Christ, or on the direction of the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28) have passed on their pastoral office to the bishops. The bishops are the successors of the Apostles, not in such a manner that an individual bishop is a successor of an individual Apostle, but that the bishops in their totality (together) are the successors of the College/Gathering of the Apostles."
The issues of continuity and accountability are extremely important.

+ BP. JOE PAYYAPILLY +

"Need for apostolic succession" or its "Significance"

2009-12-30T10:57:00.016-07:00

Going back to the topic of "Need for apostolic succession" or its "Significance" today: I was recently asked about the significance it holds. Here is the question, and I have posted a wonderful excerpt from Papal Encyclical "Satis Cognitum" of Leo XIII that I found from the year A.D.1896.

The question I received from Paul(who is in another part of the world):

Paul asks: I think the topic of "Need for apostolic succession" or its "Significance" today holds some significance from a traditional point of view and not from an NT principle that a succession of leadership in the church should be traceable back to the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. I like to hear from you and don’t mind if you can present your facts with the reference source, I would like to look at that background too. Perhaps you can explain with references but I'll have to see it myself.

Here is the excerpt I attached below from the Papal Encyclical Satis Cognitum of Leo XIII.

The various powers of the Bishops:

1. "Bishops have immediate power, that is, it is not practiced via the permission of a superior. Thus bishops can never be simply delegates (agents) or vicars (representatives) but are indeed independent pastors of the flocks entrusted to them."

2. "They have power appointed by God; for the Apostles, on the grounds of Divine ordinance, whether in the immediate commission of Christ, or on the direction of the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28) have passed on their pastoral office to the bishops. The bishops are the successors of the Apostles, not in such a manner that an individual bishop is a successor of an individual Apostle, but that the bishops in their totality (together) are the successors of the College/Gathering of the Apostles."

The issues of continuity and accountability are extremely important. Thus the following must be within the Consecration of a Bishop:

1. FORM: The rite of consecration to the Order of Bishop takes place with the imposition of hands and prayer. [2 Timothy 1:6 and 1 Timothy 4:14]. The Consecration must be done in the context of the Eucharistic Liturgy to be valid. This emphasizes the connection of the ordination/Consecration with the Eucharistic Community. A consecration done secretly, out of the context of the Eucharistic Liturgy or privately away from the Church and its worshipping community would or could therefore be considered flawed or invalid.

2. MATTER: There must be an actual laying on of hands by a Bishop during the Eucharistic Liturgy. Prayer is not sufficient in and of itself.

3. MINISTER: The one who performs the consecration must himself be a validly consecrated Bishop within the Apostolic Succession, and possess jurisdictional authority to pass along not only Sacramental Consecration but also to pass jurisdictional authority [i.e. what territory/Diocese/Archdiocese] which already exists, will this Bishop be consecrated for].

4. INTENTION: The intent of the Laying On of Hands and the prayer within the Eucharistic Liturgy must be to ordain or consecrate the person to Holy Orders. One could conceivably lay hands on someone during the Eucharistic Liturgy for prayer for healing, for blessing, or for some other worthy propose, without the intent to ordain or consecrate. This criterion removes the possibility of someone claiming to be a Bishop or priest simply because he had received the "Laying On of Hands" in the Liturgy. The intent must be to ordain or consecrate and to so state the same in the Ordination or Consecration documents.

The secret of ‘Sacred Geometry’

2009-12-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

In medieval times, and even during neo-modern days, the secret was preserved in secret groups or circles of Freemasonry that have existed throughout the ages. Leonardo Da Vinci was a member of such a circle that gave him access to the science of sacred geometry, and his membership explains why he used it in his paintings. The importance of sacred geometry, especially as it relates to the Golden Mean, has been used in many art forms in modern history, from the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci to the architecture of churches and cathedrals, and in music such as Beethoven’s Fifth symphony. It is also believed by many that these secret societies also preserved scientific and Gnostic knowledge that can be traced back to the mythological Atlantis. The Atlantean knowledge was supposedly passed on to the Egyptians and from the Egyptians to the Greek Hermetic tradition. All around the world researchers are looking for the remains of Atlantis, Mu and/or Lemuria, and their research has already been substantially successful. Recently since the last four years, factual undersea structures and even pyramids, the possible remains of Mu, have been found in the waters off the Japanese islands of Okinawa and Yonaguni. These structures must be at least 10,000 years old since they were found on the sea floor that submerged underwater at the end of the last Ice Age. The monuments are 600 ft wide and 90 ft high and has been dated to at least 8000 BC. The oldest pyramid in Egypt, the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, was constructed more than 5,000 years later. We will most likely hear a lot more in the coming years about their knowledge, systems and beliefs.

The Holy Bible mentions the second day of creation as the creation of Light. The point I want to make here is that the ancient Egyptians were aware of the art of sacred geometry and how it relates to the universe, as the Giza plateau, and in particular what the Great Pyramid proves. Some peculiarities of the Great Pyramid was that the structure was covered by 144,000 polished casing stones that made it shine like a huge lighthouse in the desert. The Egyptians called the pyramid ‘Ta Khut’, which translates into ‘The Light’. Is it pure ‘coincidence’ then that the gnostic gematria value for ‘light’ equates to the number 144? The Hermetic tradition of ancient wisdom tells us that the human body can be regarded as a blueprint for the universe by means of all the ratios that are found within the body. I will not go into all the details here, but I want to show you something very amazing here.

A lot has been written about this sketch alone. It has a lot of hidden sacred geometry. The approximate dimension angles of the Great Pyramid are the angle 51 degrees 52 minutes of the slopes, which is the same as the pyramid triangle angles in the sketch above.

In spite of common miss-understandings of architectural composition, the most mysterious and praised compositions are very simple but not devoid of anthropomorphic appeal, since everything is made out of human proportions, just like Vitruvius’s description of the human body, is very simple and very clean. The main source of all kinds of delusions and speculations about our mythical or mythological past for humanity comes of course with the myth of Atlantis, mythical garden of Eden--the necessary seed contained in the Bible, a culture of high intelligence that lived before the known history, wisdom from the ancient Egypt which could perhaps be traced in the canon of geometry and numbers that is so latently present throughout the world.

This canon of sacred geometry seems to appear in the descriptions of theologies, and just about any field of discipline where everything is so carefully calculated and proportioned. So this means the secret of ‘Sacred Geometry’ is not about the geometry per se, it’s about the manifestations or vibrations that take on sacred geometrical patterns!

Didymos Judas Thomas (the apostle)

2009-12-27T21:46:00.000-07:00

There are millions of people known as St. Thomas Christians, and particularly in southern India, in Kerala (also called Malabar). Thomas, maligned through history as “doubting Thomas”, never left the fold, continued to be a disciple even when his terror at further pain kept him from believing without seeing. He takes his rightful place among the Apostles, and one of the oldest Christian churches, founded by him, still thrives in India.

Long before Christianity had reached many parts of Europe, Christianity came across the Arabian Sea to Kerala along the thriving spice trade routes. Today about seven million people, a fifth of Kerala's population, call themselves St. Thomas Christians after Jesus' apostle, who many here believe arrived in India in 52 A.D. Even today, parts of some liturgies are sung in Syriac, close to the Aramaic language spoken by Christ.

Viewing it through the lens of the 15th- and 16th-century European perspective, these people were heretics. They were concerned that their liturgies and their other writings be purified and corrected on the basis of what a Portuguese Latin-Rite Roman Catholic would expect to be normative. So there is very, very little manuscript evidence from before the Portuguese era, because the Portuguese were very good at collecting these manuscripts that they'd already found, destroying them, and issuing corrected copies of them.

Malayattoor is a village in the North Eastern corner of Ernakulam District in the state of Kerala in South India. Kurisumudy is the pinnacle of a mountain at Malayattoor, 1269 'Ft. above sea level. Kurisumudy has its fame as a place visited by St. Thomas, one of the Apostles of Jesus Christ. Taking upon himself the order of preaching to the whole world, Thomas set out to India and landed at Kodlugalloor in AD 52. The oral tradition has it that he spent 20 years in India traveled through different parts of this great country of spirituality. After this much time period in history, today this church still exists here which has been designated by the Vatican as an International Shrine. Here are some pictures from my personal visit recently... after speaking with a mother superior of a local convent I found that there are archives with documents written by the bishop -- handwritten -- requesting all the churches belonging to the Cochin Kingdom -- they should celebrate the 60th birthday of the king. I also found that there is still much to be analyzed, much to be discovered, and a team from Minnesota is handling all of it which will be digitized -- rescued from moisture, termites, and neglect and stored for research-scholars and for posterity with plan for back-up copies in an unlikely safe haven: a monastery in central Minnesota.

Direct experience state of Theophany

2009-12-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

In some or more ways theology is more like medicine than a theoretical subject. Its goal is both: therapy, cure and healthy, soundness of mind and body. That is, it aims at alleviating the troubles and afflictions of people and at showing a better way to live. The state we all wish to achieve is called Theophany, or simple terms enlightenment. The goal is not to build philosophical & dogmatic systems, but to cure and care for soul kingdoms. As Epicurus (c.55-c.135) said, “Empty are the words of those who cures no human suffering.” The spiritual teacher or presbyter/priest may prescribe other spiritual tips or exercises including meditation, contemplation, affirmations, visualization, journal writing, and personal or group examination of spiritual progress and problems; and more advanced students may be invited to receive training in spiritual theurgy and other mystical practices requiring greater dedication. The question then arises how can you find a presbyter/priest, and if you are lucky even a Bishop, who is not superfluous in today’s world? On one hand, the threads of the ancient Succession are hard to find (although, self-proclaimed gurus, priests and bishops are everywhere). On the other, much of the ancient teaching can be found in books and even on the internet and doesn’t have to come from oral teaching. Therefore, solitary practice, if often done is the best option nowadays. Nevertheless, a Guide who is accessible for communications is still useful for being able to assess the condition of the student and to prescribe proper practices. Furthermore, a presbyter/priest or Bishop, is useful when the student gets stuck or encounters special problems (especially in the more advanced practices). Finally, if a student is psychologically “at risk,” a presbyter/priest or Bishop, may steer them away from potentially dangerous practices, and aid their healing (perhaps directing them to professional care). In summary, although a presbyter/priest or Bishop, is by no means necessary, your progress may be easier if you can find a competent, honest presbyter/priest or Bishop. So, just as the doctor may administer different prescriptions to you at different times, depending on your condition, so also the presbyter/priest or Bishop, administers different doctrines (verbal therapies) proper for your current state.

The Book of Genesis — Golden Mean

2009-12-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

I’m going to try to blog more so I’ll try to find time. I have been very busy lately since I have started architect registration preparation (ARE) and it is something I’ve had in the back burner over the years. Fascinating facts about the Bible have surfaced that are often dismissed or ignored by the mainstream establishment churches because these findings do not fit in with their established traditional dogmas. In the last two decades scholars have discovered that this book encodes hidden knowledge that must have been put into it deliberately. Only now, at this point in the second millennium, have we reached a level of scientific understanding that allows us to grasp the hidden knowledge in this book– one of the least understood books of the ancient past, the book of Genesis, the first book of the Holy Bible. Everyone knows the starting phrase of Genesis, however few know that the whole essence of creation was embedded in that first word. Obviously this hi-tech knowledge has been deliberately preserved in the Bible for future generations to ultimately discover.

Post 1900 RC Lineages.

2009-12-25T21:40:00.001-07:00

The following Apostolic lineages are quite well documented which descends from the ancient Roman State Religion through Roman Christianity. Other extant ones are also quite well documented and made available for historical research purposes. Information can be provided upon formal written request from serious academic researchers or ecclesiastical scholars.

See below for continuation of lineages from Roman Catholic lineage from Bishop Carlos Duarte Costa downwards:

Bishop Carlos Duarte Costa was consecrated on 12/08/1924.

Bishop Luis Fernando Castillo-Méndez was consecrated on 05/03/1948 by Msgr. Carlos Duarte Costa, former Titular Bishop of Maura, for the Igreja Católica Apostólica Brasileira.

Bishop Forest Ernest Barber was consecrated on 01/30/1985 by Bishop Luis Fernando Castillo Mendez, a bishop.

Bishop Barber has consecrated Bertil Alexander Persson as bishop on 06/14/1987

Bishop George William Boyer was consecrated a Bishop on 12/19/1987, by Nils Bertil Mar Alexander Persson.

Bishop George William Boyer consecrated Lewis S. Keizer on July 12th, 1993 as Bishop.

Bishop Lewis Keizer consecrated Warren Smith in 1993 as Bishop.

Bishop Warren Smith consecrated John F. Gilbert in 1994 as Bishop.

Bishop John F. Gilbert consecrated James E. Babeckis in 1995 as Bishop.

Bishop James E. Babeckis consecrated Joe J. Payyapilly in November 22nd, 2009 as Bishop.

Bishop Joe J. Payyapilly… [downwards-- no known consecrations.]

Hello world! Just keep coming back….

2009-12-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome! Every soul-spark or human heart seeks to unite with the source being, or original spark or the Divine true nature of one’s own. I have contemplated recently the impact of “faith” and what an increasing number of people are in the look out for– personal, and sacramental spirituality in a life of self and planetary evolution & public service– without a doctrinal belief system within an establishment’s dogma and creed.

I’ll try to share and answer questions that arise and spiritual inquiries that I have received one at a time here. Since I do believe the teachings practiced by the “mainstream Churches” are not ‘completely’ based on the words & teachings of the historical personage of Jesus, and if I believed this then I would be a member of a mainstream Church and abandon all other spiritual inquiry. Rather than emphasis on dogmas, and planned theology, I will try to discuss as much as I can here: original tradition, historical facts, that I have been able to further explore, assimilate, and better understand the teachings of spiritual teachers, masters, prophets, and mystics known to the world. Like such as, if we are to truly understand the greatest of them all– the wisdom of Jesus, we must look at it with compassion, humility, purity of heart and intention; and applying the sayings to everyday life without complex doctrines based on altered tradition, severed Biblical interpretation that came through ignorance, the processes of history, and medieval-era establishments.