06/11/2025

Thursday Week 31 Ordinary Time

One of the difficulties that I face when I begin to try to "pray" by raising my heart and mind to God through the Mass Readings that I access on this computer, is the attention-grabbing turmoil of "headlines" that my browser inflicts on me, without ceasing.

This has never been a problem for anyone before my generation but even so our forefathers in Faith had to contend as did Jesus himself with the "learned and the clever" who are still ready to value themselves and their ideas before the revelations made by God.

Even though many of the Jews of the first century, the Chosen People, had to endure the "Gaxafication"  of first century Jerusalem and of all their hopes and beliefs, most of the first few Christianized  generations after the Apostles were able to enjoy peaceful lives in spite of outbreaks of persecution, as the result of the Pax Romana and thus had the same basic security which enabled the intellectual and cultural foment that characterised the first two or three centuries of the Roman Empire have its effect in the Church founded on St Peter.

The Gentiles who became the majority of the people renewed by the Resurrection had made conscious efforts to understand how this "Impossibility" could have happened and have been witnessed by their first Bishops. 

The Jews who believed in Jesus, the Apostles, including St Paul, had seen the resurrected Jesus and they knew him to be the one prefigured in the Law and the Prophets but as there could be no doubt that "each of us will give an account of himself to God" those who followed them were inspired to verify their beliefs in a rationality that could be intellectually preserved and taken to heart by future generations.

The only way to be a "Christian" today and in any future generation is to know that IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT completed the  revelation of  his purpose in creating the Universe and each individual and free human being with his Resurrection, Old and New Testament and his Last Words to Mary and John.

There are too many obviously unjustifiable "headlines from historical events" about the development of the Church founded on St Peter for me to agree with her that she is the sole source of salvation. There are too many solid historical facts of present and ancient history that are much more serious than the ephemera of the distracting "Popups" on this machine, that bother me each day, for me to have confidence in such an Institution. 

Just as do the Jews, however, she does still exist and can never until the end of time be ignored for the Lord is still with us and and present within hearts and minds that find him in the Scriptures and seek out the grace promised from the cross in the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church of Love, the New Holy Family. 

I believe I shall see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living

The Lord is my light and salvation.

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life,

Whom should I dread?

I believe I shall see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living

There is one thing I seek from the Lord,

Only this do I seek,

To live in the house of the Lord,

all the days of my life.

To gaze on the beauty of the Lord,

To enquire at his temple.

I believe I shall see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living

I believe I shall see the Lord's goodness,

In the Land of the living.

Wait for the Lord; be strong;

Be stout-hearted and wait for the Lord!