Why did God give us Two Hands?

Why did God give us two hands? We need two hands to hold two important buckets of knowledge so we can contemplate the details of each and the relationship between the two. One hand is not enough. A third hand is superfluous. One hand is to hold his ignominious defeat. The other hand is to hold his glorious victory. Can you articulate the details of his ignominious defeat? We tortured and killed the God who loves us. We made him suffer and die. Sin does not get much worse than torturing and killing someone who loves you - especially when your lover is the Son of God. Can you articulate the details of his glorious victory? He rose from the dead still alive and still in love with us. He did not stay dead and he did not stop loving us. Can you articulate the relationship between his ignominious defeat and his glorious victory? The evil we did to the God who loves us ought to have extinguished him and his love for us. But, it did not. Both he and his love for us survived the evil that we did to him. That he emerged from the black hole of death still alive is the proof that Jesus is God. No mere mortal emerges alive from the black hole of death. He did. That he emerged from the black hole of death still in love with us, however, proves so much more than "mere" divinity. This added, apocalyptic detail reveals to us that our simple conception of divinity as omnipotence is not quite accurate. It is incomplete. Divinity is also love - a mysteriously intransigent, inexplicably persistent and radically stubborn love (Lamentations 3:22-23) (Jeremiah 31:3) (Psalm 8:4-8). The dial that controls his love for us is in his hands not ours. Moreover, it is set to the highest degree and locked in place (Jeremiah 31:3). Not even the evil that we did to him could budge it (Lamentations 3:22). If his love for us were counterfeit, it would have faded as we tortured him and died when we killed him. But it did not. It persisted. That love survived the evil baptism into which we immersed him is the irrefutable proof that divinity is love. His omnipotence is awesome. Indeed, his omnipotence made paradise for us. However, it is his love for us that makes paradise sweet. Omnipotence without love is a false God. Omnipotence makes God powerful. Love makes God perfect

When we showed Jesus our worst, Jesus showed us his best (Isaiah 55:8-9) . In the comparison between Creator and creatures that took place on the road from the Crucifixion to the Resurrection, we did not do well - not well at all. The ugliness of our contribution to the comparison amplified the beauty of his contribution. The evil that we did to him was the foil that highlighted and amplified and emphasized and accentuated and magnified his forgiveness of us. The greater was the evil that we did to the God who loves us (The Passion of the Christ) , the more astonishing is his forgiveness of us.

How to Preach Christianity to the Children of Adam and Eve

What you preach depends on the status of your audience. It is important, therefore, to understand the three stages of the new evangelization. The three stages give you a framework within which you can operate successfully.

It is obvious, is it not, that something different must be said to an audience for whom the truth is still hidden by the illusions conjured up by serpent than to an audience for whom the illusions have been shattered?

It is obvious, is it not, that something different must be said to an audience who has just emerged from the darkness of the illusions than to an audience that is making their escape from godlessness to paradise on the escape route.

It is obvious, is it not, that preaching to settlers is going to be different than preaching to pilgrims?

It is obvious, is it not, that you do not offer the key of morality to an audience in whom a foundation has not been laid?

The audience determines what must be said.

There are three stages to the new evangelization. The first two stages lay the foundation. In the third stage, a Christian is built.

In the first stage, the sledgehammer of truth is wielded to shatter the illusions that hide the truth from the children of Adam and Eve. The sledgehammer of truth shatters the illusions as the blow of a hammer shatters glass. There are two illusions: 1) an illusion that camouflages the sweetness of paradise and 2) an illusion that sugarcoats the sourness of godlessness. When the illusions are shattered, the truth about paradise and the truth about godlessness become visible to us. We see the sweetness of paradise and we see the sourness of godlessness. Rational creatures seek the sweetness of paradise and flee the sourness of godlessness. It is contrary to our self-interest to do otherwise. The truth sets us free. The sourness of godlessness pushes us to its exit. The sweetness of paradise pulls us to its entrance. However, between the exit of godlessness and the entrance to paradise, a vast abyss sits. To make the great leap from time to eternity (Our Lady of Good Success), the new exodus led / served by the new Moses passes through the bloody wounds we opened in the body of Christ. He is the way, etc. (John 14:6). Through them, we make our way home. In stage 1, settlers are transformed into pilgrims

In the second stage, the children of Adam and Eve exit the darkness of the illusions and enter the light of truth. When we first enter the light from the darkness, we are disoriented and we ask, 'how do we get there from here - how do we get to paradise from godlessness?' At the moment - and only at that moment - it is the time for the Church to say that we know the way. We know how to get there from here. God built an escape route from godlessness to paradise, defined the escape route with holy places, made a map of them, established a Church, entrusted the map to the Church, and gave the Church the job of facilitating our escape - not the job of frustrating it, filtering it or fouling it up. The escape from godlessness to paradise is primary. Nothing else matters. Everything else is secondary. Anything that interferes is suspect. In stage 2, pilgrims embark on their pilgrimage.

Stages 1 and 2 are the foundation of a Christian. On the foundation of stages 1 and 2, a Christian is built.

In stage 3, it becomes time of offer the key of morality to pilgrims to unlock the cages of sin. Only pilgrims are willing to take the reins of morality into their hands, the bit of morality into their mouths and the bridle of morality onto their heads. Only pilgrims view morality as the key that sets them free. Settlers view morality as the straight jacket that imprisons them. Sharing the key of morallity with settlers is akin to throwing pearls before swine. The settlers appreciate the key of morality as much as swine appreciate pearls (Matthew 7:6).  Although morality is the key that sets us free, it fails to free us from the cages of sin when it is shoved down our throats against our wills by dint of omnipotence. Under such circumstances, our gag reflex is triggered and we regurgitate it. The prisoner locked in the cage of sin must voluntarily put the key in the cage door to unlock it. That is the only way morality works.

There is a tendency in the Church to skip the foundation - to try to build a Christian without a foundation. This shortcut never works. It fails all of the time. If you want to end the abortion crisis, build the foundation. If you want to end the shortage of priests, build the foundation. When the foundation is built, everything else falls into place.

Unlike coffee, there is no such thing as an instant Catholic. It takes time to make a Catholic. We do not become Catholic overnight. A human being develops from a baby in the womb through other stages of life including infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. A similar framework of development takes place in the thinking of Catholics. A Catholic whose thinking is not quite up to speed with the thinking of the self-styled orthodox Catholics is still a Catholic for the same reason that a baby in the womb is still a human being.

God is a Realist

God is a realist. A realist is pragmatic. All of us must do our lifetime experiencing the sourness of godlessness. The experience in this school of hard knocks is designed to make us into better citizens of paradise. Letting us stew in the sourness of godlessness is harsh but effective medicine. God, however, is well aware that godlessness sucks. In godlessness, the big fish chew on and consume the little fish. Godlessness is what it is. And we must serve out our lifetime sentences in it. Our philanthropic God, however, does blunt the sharp edge of godlessness for us. When the big fish abuse us, the best response from us is to cling to our love, hold tight and not let go. This is the sanctuary in which we can take refuge in the storm of suffering.  It is the life preserver to which we can cling. More than two thousand years ago in a region of our planet called the Middle East, the Son of God paid us a visit to demonstrate this secret to us. He gave the little fish practical advise. we all can use this advise because, in truth, we are all little fish in the sourness of godlessness. 

Hacking an Idea

An idea can be hacked using the following techniques. Number is important to the process of hacking an idea. No idea consists of a single part. An idea is the relationship among the parts of an idea. For instance, the relationship between love and suffering. It is always useful to identify the number of significant parts. Putting a number on the parts of an idea helps to take control of the idea. Next. Add and take away parts to see what is the result. Redefine the relationship between separate parts. An idea consists of a family or a network of constituent parts. The ability to identify the members of the family and the relationship between the parts enables you to take control of the idea.  

This is a short lesson in how to hack an idea.

The Formula for Converting Sinners into Saints is Missing and the New Evangelization cannot start without it.

Fewer and fewer of the children of Adam and Eve are going to Mass. Nobody goes to Confession. Vocations are drying up. Marriage is crumbling. Churches are withering and dying. The trend is downward and accelerating.

The New York City Police Department runs a program of self-criticism called CompStat by which it uses crime statistics to evaluate the job performance of its bosses. Given the deplorable Catholic statistics, if such a program were applied to the bosses of the Catholic Church, how many heads would roll? Shall we wait until the number for Mass attendance falls into the single digits before the bosses of the Catholic Church are fired for incompetency? 

What is going wrong?

What would the shareholders do if the management of McDonalds told them that they had misplaced the formula for the secret sauce? What would they do if the management of Coke misplaced the recipe? What if hedge funds lost the algorithm that mints them money? In the case of the Church, it has misplaced the formula for converting sinners into saints. It is putting the cart before the horse. It is trying to do Stage 3 of the new evangelization before it has completed Stages 1 and 2. It is failing because it is trying to build a Catholic without first laying a foundation. Without a foundation, it is impossible to build a house (Matthew 7:24-27).

Like a broken record, every word from the mouth of the Church is sin, sin and more sin. The Church is playing the same old song over and over and over again. The incessant repetition has become tiresome as tinnitus or a bunion. Its unremitting drone is as repellent as the sin itself. Yet, the Church is surprised when people tune out and switch to a different, less unpleasant, more upbeat station. Morality and sin belong to stage 3 of the new evangelization not to stages 1 and 2. In the construction of a Catholic, the rough work must be done first, that is, the foundation, before the finished work, that is, morality, can be done. The roof of morality cannot be installed until the foundation is first set.

God is not dead. Indeed, God is very much alive. However, the conversation about God is dead. Killing the conversation about God is tantamount to killing God. The enemies of the Church know this. The Church does not. More of the conversation needs to be devoted to revelation; less to regulation. Today the Church devotes 99% of the conversation to regulation and 1% to revelation. This ratio must change if sinners are to be converted into saints. When we exclude God from the conversation, we empty the earth of the knowledge of God (Isaiah 11:9). God becomes a stranger to us. And nobody follows a stranger. Fewer and fewer go to Mass. Nobody goes to Confession. Vocations dry up. Marriages crumble. Churches wither and die. The trend is downward and accelerating. Only when God stops being a stranger to us - when we establish and develop a relationship with him - when we get to know him - when he becomes a member of our family - when the Son of God becomes our brother, does the trend get reversed.

Here is the formula that converts sinners into saints. Its three stages need to be completed in sequence. First, the Church must wield the sledgehammer of truth against the illusions conjured up by the serpent that deceive us. Second, the Church must show the map of the escape route to those in whom the desire to escape is ignited. The first and second stages of the new evangelization lay the foundation for building a Catholic. Last, the Church must show pilgrims who are making their escape the key of morality to sit them free from the cage of sin. How are sinners transformed into saints? We must first transform settlers into pilgrims. How do your transform settlers into pilgrims? Start at Stage 1 of the New Evangelization.

The First Stage of the New Evangelization

God appeals to our rationality in his effort to persuade us to return home to paradise. The desire to return home is ignited when the illusion that camouflages the sweetness of paradise and the illusion that sugarcoats the sourness of godlessness are shattered. The sledgehammer of truth shatters the illusions as the blow of a hammer shatters glass. When the illusions are shattered, the truth becomes visible to us. Rational creatures seek the sweetness of paradise and flee the sourness of godlessness. It is against our self-interest to do otherwise. The truth sets us free. Therefore, the first priority of the Church is to pick up the sledgehammer of truth and wield it against the illusions conjured up by the serpent to shatter them and, thereby, expose us to the truth.

The Second Stage of the New Evangelization

When the illusions are shattered and we enter the light from the darkness, disoriented, we ask, 'How do we get there from here - from godlessness to paradise?' At that moment it is time for the Church to say, 'We know the way. We know how to get there from here." To rescue us from godlessness, God built an escape route, defined it with holy places, made a map of them, entrusted the map to the Church and and gave the Church the mission of facilitating our escape - not the mission of frustrating it, filtering it or fouling it up. The escape from godlessness to paradise is primary. Nothing else matters. Everything else is secondary. Anything that interferes is suspect. When the illusions are shattered and rational creatures behold the truth, conversion takes place. We pull up the roots we have sunk deep into the hostile desert of godlessness, grab God's hand and begin the journey back home to paradise. We join the new exodus served by the new Moses, the Church, that is making its escape from slavery under the yoke of Pharaoh, through the hostile desert of godlessness, to freedom with God and his holy family in the promised land (Galatians 5:1). The genius of God himself gave us this living and breathing allegory. The reversal of direction - the turning around - is conversion. Conversion reconciles us with God.

The Third and Final Stage of the New Evangelization

Sin and Morality occupy the third and final stage of the new evangelization. Morality comes last after a settler has been transformed into a pilgrim by exposure to the truth. Trying to get settlers to take the bit of morality into their mouths, the bridle of morality onto their heads and the reins of morality into their hands is like throwing pearls before swine. As settlers, they see morality as the straight jacket that imprisons them and not as the key that sets them free. Morality only has a chance to take hold in pilgrims. 

Conclusion

The foregoing is the formula for converting sinners into saints. Each of the three stages has its own identifying icon. Stage 1 is associated with the sledgehammer of truth; stage 2 with the map of the holy places; and stage 3 with the key of morality that sets us free. Many put too much emphasis on Stage 3 and no emphasis whatsoever on Stages 1 and 2.  They are too impatient to lay the foundation found in Stages 1 and 2.  Without a foundation, a Catholic cannot be built. Moreover, they do not articulate stage 3 in a positive way but always in a negative way. Stage 3, morality, is less about sin and more about the key that sets us free from the cage of sin. Others in the Church want to do each of the three stages at once. They are overeager to produce saints. However, the formula does not work unless done in sequence - unless the proper foundation is first put into place. Unlike coffee, there is no such thing as an instant Catholic It takes time to make a Catholic.  We do not become Catholic overnight. A human being develops from a baby in the womb through other stages of life including infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. A similar framework of development takes place in the thinking of Catholics. A Catholic whose thinking is not quite up to speed with the thinking of the self-styled orthodox Catholics is still a Catholic for the same reason that a baby in the womb is still a human being.

Theodicy

Who were the teachers of the prodigal son? He had two. One was the pig sty. The other was his Father's house. He discovered the truth about the pig sty and about his father's house for himself through experience. Experience is the most persuasive teacher.

God plans to deliver the gift of paradise to us just as he delivered the gift of paradise to Adam and Eve. God will not be less generous with us than he was with them. Adam and Eve were the first beneficiaries of God’s love for sinners. They were not the last. God’s philanthropy did not end with Adam and Eve; God’s philanthropy began with them. This is good news of great joy - very good news for us indeed. 

However, there is a problem. We suffer from butterfingers. When the gift of paradise is delivered to us, we don't keep it. We fumble the ball. We do not maintain possession of the gift of paradise after it has been delivered to us. Lucifer opted out of paradise after the gift of paradise had been delivered to him. So did the gaggle of angels who followed Lucifer. So did Eve. So did Adam.

God does not want the children of Adam and Eve to repeat the "original sin" of their parents. When God delivers the gift of paradise to us, God wants us to keep it. However, he wants us to keep the gift of paradise without having to turn paradise into a prison, himself into our warden and us into his prisoners. God does not want to mar the beauty of paradise with walls, watchtowers and armed guards. God does not want to lock us in a gilded cage and throw away the key of free will - the theory of the beatific vision notwithstanding. A cage is a cage no matter how gilded. God respects our free wills so he preserves our options of staying in paradise or leaving it. God does not ram the gift of paradise down our throats by dint of omnipotence against our free wills. The residents of paradise are souls who want to live there. It is up to us to accept the gift of paradise and keep it - up to us not up to God.

Furthermore, God is not stupid. He knows that free will in the hands of fools is dangerous - dangerous to them and to others. Fools with free will are as likely to shoot themselves and others in the foot as not. Therefore, God plants the seeds of rationality into us and exposes our rationality to the truth. The gift of free will and the gift of rationality go hand-in-hand like beans and cornbread. Our rationality instructs our free will. The process of having our rationality instruct our free will works when our rationality is exposed to the truth. The process fails to work when illusions hide the truth from our rationality. Illusions cause the engine of rationality to sputter and fail. Illusions gum up the engine of rationality and cause it to seize. When rational creatures are exposed to the truth, however, their self-interest steers them in the right direction - from godlessness to paradise. The truth is the fuel for the engine of rationality. The engine of rationality only works with the fuel of truth. 

Therefore, God established a Church and equipped it with the sledgehammer of truth so it can shatter the illusions that hide the truth from us. The first business of the Church is to wield the sledgehammer of truth against the illusions to shatter them as the blow of a hammer shatters glass. There are two illusions: 1) the illusion that camouflages the sweetness of paradise from us and 2) the illusion that sugarcoats the sourness of godlessness. The serpent conjured up the two illusions to induce us to abdicate paradise for godlessness (Godlessness). The first business of the Church is to shatter the illusions that hide the truth from us. The Church does not define the truth. The Church shatters the illusions that hide the truth. When the illusions are shattered, the truth sets us free. When the illusions are shattered, the sweetness of paradise and the sourness of godlessness becomes visible to us. Rational creatures seek the sweetness of paradise and flee the sourness of godlessness. It is against our self-interest to do otherwise.

Does all truth matter in the business of shattering the illusions? Much is true. Much truth, however, is irrelevant. Only a subset of truth matters. The subset of truth that matters is the truth that shatters the two illusions. The truth that shatters the illusion that camouflages the sweetness of paradise from us is a subset of truth that matters. The truth that shatters the illusion that sugarcoats the sourness of godlessness from us is a subset of truth that matters. All other truth is irrelevant to the business of shattering the illusions that hide the sweetness of paradise and the sourness of godlessness from us.

God is not taking any chances with our salvation. God has rigged the game in our favor. God does not play fair with our salvation. God takes nothing for granted. He wants us to make the right choice. When he delivers to us the gift of paradise, he wants us to keep it. God understands the principle that the truth that persuades us the most is the truth that we experience for ourselves. Therefore, like the prodigal son, God allows us to discover the truth about the sweetness of paradise and the truth about sourness of godlessness for ourselves. We learn for ourselves the truth about the pig sty. We learn for ourselves the truth about life in our father's house. He has appointed not one but two teachers to serve as our sources of the truth.  Our two teachers are 1) the sourness of godlessness and 2) the sweetness of paradise. These two teachers are the engines that power the current of salvation. The current of salvation carries us from godlessness to paradise.

Two existential alternatives presented themselves to Adam and Eve and present themselves to us: 1) a life lived with God and his holy family in paradise and 2) a life lived without God in godlessness. Adam and Eve picked godlessness (Godlessness). Hopefully, we do no follow in the footsteps of our parents, Adam and Eve. They, however, unlike us, have an excuse (Godlessness). They did not have the benefit of one of the two teachers. Before they made their choice, they did not know the sourness of godlessness. That excuse is no longer available to us. 

Like foolish children, Adam and Eve ran away from their home with God in paradise and took us with them into godlessness (Godlessness). They opted out. It was a bad move. Godlessness sucks. In godlessness, we are like fish out of water. Despite their foolishness, God did not wish them goodbye and good riddance. God did not turn his back on them. God did not give them the cold shoulder. God did not shut and lock the door after they passed through it (Godlessness). Oh no. God identified the problem. His creatures were opting out after the gift of paradise had been delivered to them. Lucifer opted out after the gift of paradise had been delivered to him. The gaggle of angels who followed Lucifer did the same. So did Eve. So did Adam. Post delivery paradise opt out was the problem. Some have called the problem 'original sin". After identifying the problem, God devised a plan to fix it. 

The plan consists of two parts. To induce us to opt out of paradise, the serpent conjured up two illusions: 1) an illusion that sugarcoats the sourness of godlessness and 2) an illusion that camouflages the sweetness of paradise. The sledgehammer of truth shatters the illusions as the blow of the hammer shatters glass. The truth sets us free. When the truth becomes visible to us, our rationality steers us in the right direction. We seek the sweetness of paradise and flee the sourness of godlessness. It is contrary to our self-interest to do otherwise.

The sledgehammer of truth is wielded against the illusion that sugarcoats the sourness of of godlessness during "the delay". God delivered the gift of life and the gift of paradise simultaneously to Adam and Eve. With the children of Adam and Eve, God tweaked the timetable. God inserted a delay between the delivery of the gift of life and the gift of paradise. Sequential, not simultaneous, delivery is now the order of the day: first the gift of life, then the delay, then the gift of paradise.

During the delay, God lets us stew temporarily in godlessness. God wants us to taste for ourselves the sourness of godlessness. There is no stronger truth than a truth we have learned for ourselves. No story about the truth is as convincing as the experience of the truth for ourselves. 

"The delay" is the most controversial part of God's rescue plan. It is a brief delay, but for many, not brief enough. The delay is harsh medicine. It generates all of the complaints about God's rescue plan. Letting humanity stew in the sourness of godlessness is the surest way to maximize the negative feedback against God. The sourness of godlessness has caused many to shake their fists at God as they curse him in the foulest of language. We do not take our medicine quietly. The delay is the basis that drives many to the incorrect conclusion that God is a malicious misanthrope or that he doesn't exist. Yet, in the eyes of God, the effectiveness of the medicine justifies its harshness and the flak he takes on account of it. So God prescribes it.

Why does God let us stew in the sourness of godlessness? How does stewing in the sourness of godlessness reduce the likelihood that we will opt out of paradise after the gift of paradise is delivered to us? [What is the solution to the problem of evil?]

Letting us stew in the sourness of godlessness achieves multiple purposes:

1) God doesn't want us to get fooled twice. One "original sin" is enough. The debacle of Adam and Eve need not be repeated. The experience in godlessness makes it impossible for the serpent to deceive us a second time. The serpent promised Adam and Eve that a life lived as gods in godlessness would be superior to a life lived with God in paradise (Godlessness). Not true. This is a lie. A taste of the sourness of godlessness exposes the serpent's lie. It is the medicine that inoculates us against it. The lie no longer works. The truth drains the lie of its power. We have learned the truth the hard way by experiencing it for ourselves. We choose experience rather than obedience (Godlessness). Having tasted the pig sty for himself, the prodigal son will never return there. Neither will we. When God delivers the gift of paradise to us, we will keep it. We know better. 

2) The experience in godlessness shatters the illusion conjured up by the serpent that sugarcoats the sourness of godlessness. It shatters the illusion as the blow of a hammer shatters glass. After the sugarcoating is shattered, the sourness of godlessness becomes visible to us. Rational people flee the sourness of godlessness. They head for the exit. They pick up the roots they have sunk deep into the hostile desert of godlessness and make their escape. It is contrary to their welfare to do otherwise. The truth sets them free. It transforms them from settlers into pilgrims. The sourness of godlessness is the engine that pushes us on the escape route from godlessness to paradise. It is the "stick" of God's rescue plan.

3) Moreover, the experience in godlessness proves that the serpent was a liar and that God told us the truth. It shifts the credibility from the serpent to God. Now, when there is a conflict between the word of God and the word of the serpent, we prefer the one with the proven track record of telling us the truth (Godlessness). We learned the hard lesson obedience save us from paying the price of experience.

 

Measuring the Size of Faith

“ And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

— Matthew 17:20

Faith in the fact that God has our backs makes it possible to take risks for God. It is possible to turn the other cheek only when you have faith in the fact that God has your back. It is possible to be merciful to our neighbors as God is merciful to us only when you have faith in the fact that God has your back. Faith in the fact that God has our backs is the mustard seed. With this faith, mountains of good can be accomplished.

Therefore, the size of your faith can be inferred from the good that you do to your neighbors. A high degree of faith in the fact that God has our back moves mountains. A low degree of faith in the fact that God has our back does not move a grain a dust.

“And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirty fold, some sixty, and some an hundred.”

— Mark 4:20

The Sledgehammer of Truth: Stage 1 of God's Rescue Plan

Therefore, to rescue us from godlessness and restore us to paradise, the illusions must first be shattered.  The first step for the Church is to pick up the sledgehammer of truth and to wield it against the illusions to shatter them as the blow of the hammer shatters glass. Does all truth shatter the illusions? No, just the subset of truth relevant to the illusion being shattered. Thus, the two illusions are shattered in two different ways.  Demonstrating the sweetness of paradise shatters the illusion that camouflages it. Demonstrating the sourness of godlessness shatters the illusion that sugarcoats it. The shattering of the illusions transforms settlers whose roots bind them to the hostile desert of godlessness into pilgrims who pass through it. When the illusions are shattered and the truth becomes visible, rational people seek the the sweetness of paradise (and flee the sourness of godlessness). It would be contrary to our welfare to do otherwise. The appeal is to our rationality. Our rationality, when exposed to the truth, steers us in the right direction. 

How is the illusion that camouflages the sweetness of paradise shattered? The knowledge of God shatters the illusion. To shatter the illusion, the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9).  It was, therefore, decided that the knowledge of God would be transported from heaven to earth and into the hands of the children of Adam and Eve. Arising from the decision was the subsidiary question, ‘what package would be appropriate to hold the knowledge of God during its journey?’. Ordinarily, to hold knowledge, knowledge is put into a book or into some other functionally equivalent repository. However, the knowledge of God is heaven's most precious treasure.  No mere book is suitable to transport it. A package equal in dignity to its cargo was desired. Therefore, into an extraordinary treasure chest, the knowledge of God was poured.  The treasure chest was Jesus. Jesus, the Son of God himself, would carry the knowledge of God from heaven to earth and into our hands. The truth that Jesus carried to us is that God loves us despite our sins. Thus, the treasure chest was also a love note - a love note from God to us.   

Moreover, God was not satisfied with just putting the love note into our hands. God wanted to prove to us its genuineness as well.  He did not want any doubts to afflict us. He wanted us to be 100% certain or as close to perfect certainty as we can attain. Many false, inaccurate and conflicting pictures of the nature of God circulate through the minds of the children of Adam and Eve. The multiplicity of pictures creates confusion. “This is God” some say as they point to their favorite picture of God. Others point to a different picture and say, “No, this is God.” The controversy goes on ad infinitum. Because of the confusion, the most Holy Trinity desired to set the record straight once and forever. They decided to clear the air. They decided to give us the gift of the definitive picture of the nature of God. They decided to give us a self-portrait whose fidelity to themselves would be unmatched by any representation made by human hands. So God arranged a demonstration to put the proof into our hands. He wanted us to draw our own conclusions from the demonstration. He wanted us to see the truth, as it unfolded, for ourselves.  Why? Because the truth sets us free (John 8:32). 

The demonstration would be a collision between good and evil. The collision would be bigger than the Big Bang and larger than the Large Hadron Collider. It would take place at Calvary. The collision would be a joint venture between God and us. We would supply the evil for the collision. We would torture and kill him. He would suffer and die. Jesus would supply the good.  Jesus was the good. The collision generated byproducts.  Two byproducts, not just one, were generated:  1) Jesus did not stay dead and 2) Jesus did not stop loving us.  The byproducts of the collision unambiguously revealed to us the identity of Jesus. That Jesus did not stay dead is the irrefutable proof that Jesus is God. That Jesus did not stop loving us is the irrefutable proof that divinity is love. 

The demonstration showed us the existence of a firewall between the evil we do and his love for us. The evil we do and his love for us are disconnected.  Between them is an abyss. The circuit is open. Our God is wired differently than us (Isaiah 55:8-9). The dial that controls his love for us is not in our hands. It is in his. Moreover, it is set to the highest degree and is locked in place.

At Calvary, the genuineness of the love note was tested. Was the love note real or counterfeit?  If the love note were counterfeit, God's love for us would have faded as we tortured him and died when we killed him. But it did not. Both he and his love for us survived the evil we did to him. The love note passed the test of genuineness. It was not counterfeit but real. Indeed, we are loved and our lover is God. The proof is in our hands.

Nobody emerges from the black hole of death. It is a one way street. Whoever goes in does not come out - not even Houdini. But he did. He emerged from the black hole of death alive and still in love with us - with his most sacred heart still filled to the brim with love for us.

The love note and the demonstration of its genuineness change everything. They are the elephant in the room. They must be dealt with. They cannot be ignored.  They were put into our hands to stir us to think about them. They are meant to change the course of our lives. Our lives depend on our response to the love note and the demonstration of its genuineness.

What is your response?

Prior: The Origin of Our Predicament - Introduction to God's Rescue Plan (Click Here)

The Origin of Our Predicament - Introduction to God's Rescue Plan

God did something radical. In the annals of creation, the deed that God did was without equal. It was the polar opposite of expectation. He adopted a policy of loving sinners as much as saints (Luke 15:11-32). This pleased the sinners. However, it aggrieved the saints (Luke 15:11-32). Even an omnipotent God cannot please everybody.

God loved sinners so much that he became one of us - an equal for us in our humanity - a partner with us in our suffering. He doffed his invulnerable armor of divinity and donned our frail uniform of flesh and blood in its place. The Lion became the lamb. They say he pitched his tent among us. 

We tortured and killed him. We made him suffer and die. We baptized him in the crucible of torture, suffering and death. We nailed him to a cross where he hung until death.

He answered the evil that we did to him. His answer is the Good News of Great Joy.

He did not stay dead and he did not stop loving us.

That he did not stay dead is the proof that Jesus is God. Nobody emerges from the dead. He did.

That he did not stop loving us, however, is the proof of so much more. It is the proof that divinity is love. 

Nobody signs up to dive headfirst or, for that matter, even dip his toe into the boiling cauldron of suffering unless they are insane or something important outweighs the exorbitant cost of suffering. All creatures who suffer understand this. Suffering is our native tongue. We understand that suffering is an exorbitant cost we only willingly pay for something that is extremely dear to us. Jesus paid the exorbitant cost because we are extremely dear to Him.

If God did not love sinners, he would not have given us a second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance, a fifth chance, etc to start fresh through repentance (Matthew 18:21-22). If God did not love sinners, it would be one, two, three strikes you're out - perhaps even fewer - perhaps even none. The power to start fresh through repentance is in our hands only because God loves sinners. Fortunately for us, our God is not a God of no mercy. He is not a God of limited mercy. Our God is the God of infinite mercy - mercy whose scope includes sinners as well as saints. [Note: Gratitude and godlike mercy to our neighbors is the only appropriate response to the mercy of God (Matthew 18:21-35). Love begets love. Generosity begets generosity]  

However, when Lucifer discovered God's policy of loving sinners as much as saints, he rebelled. In his view, his perfection entitled him to more of God's love than the imperfection of sinners. Fundamental fairness requires that God allocate his love on a sliding scale basis in proportion to a creature's degree of perfection (Matthew 20:1-16). Lucifer was sanctimoniously formulaic. Only an imperfect God, Lucifer reasoned, could love creatures imperfect as much as creatures perfect.

God, however, did not share Lucifer's opinion. For God, love is not a payment for perfection but a gift - a gift he is free to bestow on saints and sinners alike (Matthew 20:1-16). In fact, God views the superiority complex of the saints as a greater threat to his kingdom of love than the imperfections of sinners (Luke 18:9-14).

In protest, Lucifer, the steadfast son (Luke 15:11-32), opted out of paradise for a smaller, purer life in godlessness. So did a gaggle of angels who followed him. In exile, the steadfast son became the serpent. The serpent was obsessed with showing God that his policy of loving sinners as much as saints (Luke 15:11-32) Is crazy - totally insane. The serpent would change God's mind. He would put limits on God's love. He would imprison it.

Surely, the serpent reasoned, if he could induce Adam and Eve to opt out of paradise for godlessness, their ingratitude would empty God's heart of his love for us. [Note: History is the story of the repeated failures of the serpent to extinguish God's love for us or reduce it by even the slightest degree.] To accomplish his foul plot, the serpent conjured up two illusions: 1) an illusion that camouflages the sweetness of paradise and 2) an illusion that sugarcoats the sourness of godlessness. The two illusions continue to distort our perception of reality today. They trick us into thinking that a life lived without God in godlessness (Genesis 3:5) is superior to a life lived with God in paradise. Nothing is further from the truth. Godlessness sucks. In godlessness, we are fish out of water. 

Next -> The Sledgehammer of Truth: Stage 1 of God's Rescue Plan (Click Here)

Ours is the God with a Sense of Humor

Ours is the God with a sense of humor! How can we not be attracted to a God with a sense of humor (Genesis 1:27)? In Revelation 3:20, God gave us the paradigm for the knock-knock joke.  How cool is that? Furthermore, behold the role that God assigned food to play in our fall and in our rise. We ate our way into trouble with a snack (the apple). Would it not, therefore, be appropriate if we could eat our way out of trouble with a snack? Indeed, we eat our way out of trouble with the bread and wine of the most Holy Eucharist.  The symmetry of the snack by which we get into and out of trouble is so perfect - the role of food in our rise and fall is so frivolous - that it can only be the work of God. No mere mortal could write such a comedy. No one would believe it. Dinner is ready. Supper is on the table. Dilly-dally no longer. All is well. Let's eat.

Judgment Day

Is God fickle? Is our God a capricious God? Do you think that God changes his mind on judgment day? Do you think that the God who did not stop loving his enemies even though they tortured and killed him will suddenly begin to hate his enemies (Matthew 5:43-48)? 

(See, The Rule of Survival - Ask, Seek, Knock (A.S.K.))

As long as you were running the race in this life - as long as you were asking, seeking and knocking for the kingdom of God while you live, you will see the gift of paradise coming to you. It will be a ground ball straight to your glove. You cannot muff it. However, if you are not interested in the gift of paradise now - if you are not asking, seeking and knocking - when the gift of paradise comes to you, you will not recognize it. It will pass you by.

It is important that you pick up the roots that bind you to the hostile desert of godlessness and join the other pilgrims who are making their escape through it from slavery under the yoke of Pharaoh to freedom with God and his holy family in the promised land.

There is a promised land. Are you making your escape toward it? Are you asking, seeking and knocking? If you are not, you are in trouble.

The gift of paradise is in the pipeline. It is heading your way. God has already sent it to you. The problem is not in the giving. Any problem that exists is in the receiving. Keep your eye on the ball.

The Rule of Survival - Asking, Seeking and Knocking (A.S.K.)

Our survival is governed solely by a simple but fundamental principle. Humanity in every place and in every age and of every religion is subject to its command. No exceptions. Only by including God in our lives do we live and only by excluding God from our lives do we die. To include God in our lives in the hereafter, we must include God in our lives now! By excluding God from our lives now, we exclude God from our lives in the hereafter. Take an interest in God and God will take an interest in you. Include God in your life and God will include you in theirs. Ignore your God and your God will ignore you. 

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”

— Matthew 7:7

The attitude that sinners need to adopt is the attitude of new born birds in the nest clamoring at their parents for food - the attitude of asking, seeking and knocking. And, perhaps, a thank you when a blessing comes your way.

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The Ratio of Nitty-Gritty to Pizzazz

Not all aspects of Christianity are equal. Some are more important than others. In talking about the aspects of Christianity, it is crucial to keep the ratio of the nitty-gritty and the pizzazz tilted in favor of the pizzazz. Getting an 'A+' for addressing the nitty-gritty of Christianity and an 'F' for not addressing its pizzazz, is not a partial success but an abysmal failure. 

Playing in the Mud

Ameliorating the Sourness of Godlessness

The most controversial and least understood part of God's plan to rescue us from godlessness and return us to paradise is the delay. Instead of delivering to us the gift of life and the gift of paradise simulataneously as he did with Adam and Eve, God tweaked the timetable for the delivery of his gifts. God inserted a delay. First God delivers the gift of life, then a delay, then comes the gift of paradise. During the delay, we get to stew temporarily in the sourness of godlessness. This harsh medicine generates all of the complaints about God's rescue plan. Letting humanity stew in the sourness of godlessness from generation to generation is the surest way to maximize the negative feedback against God. The sourness of godlessness has caused many to shake their fists at God as they cursed him in the foulest of language. It is the basis that drives many to the incorrect conclusion that God is a malicious misanthrope instead of the benevolent philanthropist that he truly is. Yet, in the eyes of God, the effectiveness of the medicine justifies its harshness so God prescribes it. Letting us stew in the sourness of godlessness achieves multiple purposes:

1) God doesn't want us to get fooled twice. One "original sin" is enough. The debacle of Adam and Eve need not be repeated. The experience in godlessness makes it impossible for the serpent to deceive us a second time. When we have learned the truth for ourselves, no lie can deceive us Psalm 34:8. The sourness of godlessness is the medicine that innoculates us against the lies of the serpent. Having tasted the pig sty for himself, the prodigal son will never return there. Neither will we. When God delivers the gift of paradise to us, we will keep it. We will keep it without turning paradise into a prison, God into our warden and us into prisoners. We will not abdicate the gift of paradise for godlessness as Eve did, as Adam did, as Lucifer did and as the gaggle of angels who follow Lucifer did.

2) The experience in godlessness shatters the illusion conjured up by the serpent that sugarcoats the sourness of godlessness. It shatters the illusion as the blow of a hammer shatters glass. After the sugarcoating is shattered, the sourness of godlessness becomes visible to us. Rational people flee the sourness of godlessness. They head for the exit. They pick up the roots they have sunk deep into the hostile desert of godlessness and make their escape. It is contrary to their welfare to do otherwise. The truth sets them free. It transforms them from settlers into pilgrims. The sourness of godlessness is the engine that pushes us on the escape route from godlessness to paradise. It is the "stick" of God's rescue plan.

3) Moreover, the experience in godlessness proves that the serpent was a liar and that God told us the truth Is suffering punishment?. It shifts the credibility from the serpent to God. Now, when there is a conflict between the word of God and the word of the serpent, we prefer the one with the proven track record of telling us the truth Godlessness.

Indeed, letting us stew in the sourness of godlessness is harsh but effective medicine. In his mercy, however, God has taken measures to mitigate the sourness of godlessness. Here is one of them. There are others.

We were having difficulty passing through the boiling cauldrons of suffering that pockmark the landscape of the valley of tears. We were not very good at it. God took notice of our plight and had pity on us. In the fullness of time, God revealed to us the secret of passing through suffering. The transcendent God descended from heaven to earth to teach us this skill. The God who fashioned us out of the mud with his hands put himself into the hands of the mud to teach the children of the mud how to tie their shoelaces. He did not just send a memo in which he revealed the secret to us. He did not just hand over a sheet of instructions. He did not just share a link to a Youtube video so we could see how it is done for ourselves. He did not dispatch his subordinates to teach us. The transcendent God himself showed us how to do it. We did not know how to suffer so the Son of God himself paid us a visit to teach us. He demonstrated the secret as we baptized him in the boiling cauldron of suffering. Look, observe and learn. Watch his demonstration The Telescope.

What is the secret of passing through suffering?

As we baptized him in the boiling cauldron of suffering, He clung to his love for us, held tight and refused to let go. He clung with the iron grip of the drowning man who clings to a life preserver in the stormy sea after his ship has sunk. Love is the life preserver. When we cling to love, the Cross does not bury us. We can pick it up. We can carry it. Therefore, cling as Jesus clung. Hold tight and refuse to let go. This is the secret hanging in plain sight from the Cross.

Suffering tends to extinguish love. The tendency is powerful. However, it is a tendency that is more destructive to you than the Cross you are carrying. Therefore, do not heed your natural inclination. Deny yourself. With the help of God, fight the powerful tendency. Refuse its urgings. Like the serpent, it is trying to steer you in the wrong direction. It is giving you instructions that contradict your self-interest. Your natural inclination is lying to you. It is trying to deceive you. You are worse off, not better off, when you yield to it. Your welfare depends on clinging to love and refusing to let go Matthew 16:24-26.

Matthew 16:24-26 is not a recommendation to suffer. It is a recommendation to love.

Recall that the evil we did to him ought to have, at the very least, pissed him off. It ought to have antagonized him. It ought to have earned us a place on his shit list. It ought to have provoked his natural instinct for justice. It ought to have triggered his reflex for revenge, retaliation and retribution. It ought to have transformed him into our enemy - into a misanthropic monster - into the God who hates us. It ought to have shifted God from the pro-human team to the anti-human team with the serpent and his minions. When the fuse is lit, the bomb ordinarily explodes. But, remarkably, it did not. The fuse worked but the bomb was a dud Isaiah 55:8-9. The evil we did to him did not extinguish his love for us or reduce it by even the slightest degree Isaiah 55:8-9. He clung to his love for us, held tight and refused to let go. God let us get away with murder - with deicide Isaiah 55:8-9. Such is the nature of God The King! Wow! Our God is a benevolent philanthropist not a misanthropic monster. This is the good news of great joy - very good news for us indeed.

P.S.

Another measure that God put in place to mitigate the sourness of godlessness is the brevity of life. God made life brief. A life is but an infinitesimally thin slice of time when we compare it to the thickness of eternity. The brevity of life proves the mercy of God.

Safari

Christianity is not reading about a safari. Christianity is going on safari.

Christianity is not about indoctrination. Christianity is about exploration. We explore the mystery, majesty and magnificence of God at the holy places that define the escape route through the hostile desert of godlessness from slavery under the yoke of Pharaoh to freedom with God and his holy family in the promised land [The genius of the living God himself produced this living and breathing allegory!]. The Church is the tour guide.

Thus, we do not become Christians head first. We become Christians feet first. The head follows the feet. 

To rescue us, God built an escape route from godlessness to paradise, defined it with holy places, made a map of them, established a Church, entrusted the map to the Church and gave the bosses of the Church the mission of facilitating the escape - not frustrating it, not filtering it and not fouling it up. The map is the corpus of the divine trust. The bosses of the Church are the trustees of the map and we, the peasantry of the Church, are the beneficiaries of the trust. As trustees, the bosses of the Church owe the peasantry fiduciary duties. They perform them in accordance with the articles of the trust. The bosses were put in charge of the logistics of the escape. They are supposed to be the grease for the wheels of the escape and not an obstacle in its way. If the bosses of the Church gets in the way of the escape, the peasantry of the Church goes around it, over it, under it and through it. Only by passing from holy place to holy place that define the escape route can we be sure that we are heading in the right direction. The escape is the needle of the compass that always points in the direction of paradise. The escape from godlessness to paradise is primary. Nothing else matters. Everything else is secondary. Anything that interferes is suspect (Matthew 23:13)  (Matthew 23:24)  (Matthew 6:33).

Jesus is the escape route. He is the bridge between the world of godlessness and the world of paradise. He is the way, etc. He is the conductor through which runs the current of salvation that arises from the potential difference between the sourness of godlessness and the sweetness of paradise.  On the near side of his bloody wounds is the sourness of godlessness.  The sourness of godlessness is the engine that pushes us to its exit. On the far side of his bloody wounds is the sweetness of paradise. The sweetness of paradise is the engine that pulls us to its entrance. But there is a gap between the exit of godlessness and the entrance of paradise - an abyss.  At the gap, "a great leap must be made from time to eternity". We make the great leap through his bloody wounds. Through his bloody wounds goes the escape. The escape starts in godlessness, passes through his bloody wounds, and finishes in paradise. 

At a holy place that helps to define the escape route a close encounter with the living God takes place. During a close encounter with the living God, a connection is made between earth and heaven. Through the connection, the light of paradise illuminates the darkness of godlessness. No one walks away from a close encounter with the living God unchanged. No one walks away from a close encounter with the living God empty handed. 

Examples of the holy places upon the earth at which close encounters with the living God take place are the Mass, Confession, the other sacraments, works of charity, acts of kindness, prayer especially the rosary, Eucharistic adoration, feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, fasting, the gathering of two or more together in God's name, bible study, suffering, the hour of death, etc.

Is Suffering a Punishment for Original Sin?

Is suffering a punishment for Original Sin? 

No.

It is a consequence. When a child puts his hand into the flames, the hand gets burned.

God lets us stew in the cesspools of suffering in the valley of tears. 

God tweaked the timetable for the delivery of his gifts. He inserted a delay. The gift of life and the gift of paradise were delivered to Adam and Eve simultaneously - no delay. For the children of Adam and Eve,  however, God inserted a delay between the delivery of the gift of life and the delivery of the gift of paradise. During the delay, we get to taste for ourselves the sourness of godlessness (Godlessness).

Why?

When God delivers to us the gift of paradise, God wants us to keep it. He wants us to keep it without having to turn paradise into a prison, himself into our warden and us into prisoners. He does not want us to repeat the original sin of our parents, Adam and Eve. He does not want us to opt out of paradise as Eve opted out, as Adam opted out, as Lucifer opted out and as the gaggle of angels who follow Lucifer opted out. Having tasted the pig sty for himself, the prodigal son will never go back there. Neither will we.

Furthermore, letting us stew in the sourness of godlessness proves to us that the serpent was a liar and that God was telling us the truth (Godlessness). Godlessness is not all that the serpent said it would be. A taste of the sourness of godlessness shatters the illusion conjured up by the serpent that sugarcoats the sourness of godlessness. When the illusions are shattered, we are set free. Our rationality instructs us to pick up the roots we have sunk deep into the hostile desert of godlessness and to flee - to head for the exits of godlessness.

Letting us stew is not punishment. It is harsh but effective medicine.

God takes no joy in the harshness of the medicine.

In fact, God took a number of measures to ameliorate the harshness of the medicine - to lessen its sting.

He made life brief. Life is an infinitesimally thin slice of time when we compare it to the thickness of eternity. The brevity of life is proof of the mercy of God. 

Furthermore, God took notice of the difficulty we were having as we pass through the boiling cauldrons of suffering in this valley of tears. God took pity on us. In the fullness of time, God revealed to us the secret of passing through suffering. We did not know how to suffer so the Son of God himself paid us a visit to teach us. He passed through the boiling cauldron of suffering himself to show us the secret of how to do it.
 
What is the secret? 

He clung to his love for us, held tight and refused to let go as we baptized him in the boiling cauldron of pain and suffering. He clung with the iron grip of the drowning man who clings to a life preserver in the stormy sea after his ship has sunk. 

Love is the life preserver. Cling as Jesus clung. When we cling to love, the Cross does not bury us. We can pick it up. We can carry it. Cling as Jesus clung. Hold tight and refuse to let go. This is the secret hanging in plain sight from the Cross.

Suffering tends to extinguish love. The tendency is powerful. However, it is a tendency that is more destructive to you than the Cross you are carrying. Therefore, deny yourself. Do not heed your natural inclination. With the help of God, fight the tendency. Refuse its urgings. Do not let go. Like the serpent, it is trying to steer you in the wrong direction. It is giving you instructions that contradict your self-interest. Your natural inclination is lying to you. You are worse off not better off when you yield to it. Your welfare depends on clinging to love and refusing to let go. 

The evil we did to him ought to have, at the very least, pissed him off. It ought to have antagonized him. It ought to have earned us a place on his shit list. It ought to have provoked his natural instinct for justice. It ought to have triggered his reflex for revenge, retaliation and retribution. It ought to have transformed him into our enemy - into a misanthropic monster - into the God who hates us. It ought to have shifted God from the pro-human team to the anti-human team with the serpent and his minions. When the fuse is lit, the bomb ordinarily explodes. But, remarkably, it did not. The fuse worked but the bomb was a dud (Isaiah 55:8-9). The evil we did to him did not extinguish his love for us or reduce it by even the slightest degree (Isaiah 55:8-9). He clung to his love for us, held tight and refused to let go. God let us get away with murder - with deicide (Isaiah 55:8-9). Such is the nature of God The King! Wow! Our God is a beneficent philanthropist not a misanthropic monster. This is the good news of great joy - very good news for us indeed.

Yes, God knows that letting us stew in suffering generates all of the complaints about God's rescue plan.  It causes many of the children of Adam and Eve to shake their fists and rail against God. The harshness of the medicine even causes them to deny the existence of a loving God. The effectiveness of the medicine, however, justifies its harshness in the eyes of God.

Lastly, God provided us with a back door - an escape hatch - a shortcut around the cesspools of suffering that dot the landscape of the valley of tears as sand dots the surface of a seashore. In his mercy, God pulled the cord to start an alternative engine to the sourness of godlessness.  The sourness of godlessness is the engine that pushes the children of Adam and Eve to the exits of godlessness. For a time since the fall (Godlessness), the sourness of godlessness was the only engine. It is no longer the only engine. The Son of God paid us a brief visit of about thirty-three years at and about the city of Jerusalem in a region of our planet called the Middle East more than two thousand years ago. One of the purposes of his visit was apocalypse - revelation. He paid us a visit to show us the sweetness of paradise. The sweetness of paradise is the engine that pulls the children of Adam and Eve to its entrance.

The sourness of godlessness pushes us to its exit. The sweetness of paradise pulls us to its entrance. But there is gap between the entrance of paradise and the exit of godlessness. How does the gap get bridged? How do we make that "great leap from time to eternity" (Our Lady of Good Success)? 

Jesus put himself between the world of godlessness and the world of paradise. He is the way, etc. (John 14:6). He is the bridge between godlessness and paradise. Rational people, when the illusions are shattered, their eyes are opened and the sweetness of paradise and sourness of godlessness is visible to them, pull up the roots they have sunk deep into the hostile desert of godlessness and make their escape on the escape route from slavery under the yoke of Pharaoh to freedom with God and his holy family in the promised land. They become pilgrims instead of settlers. It is against their self-interest to do otherwise.

The sourness of godlessness is the stick. The sweetness of paradise is the carrot. The strategy behind God's rescue plan is simple carrot and stick. The sourness of godlessness is sufficient to rescue us. The sweetness of paradise is sufficient to rescue us. Both engines are more than sufficient. God's rescue plan has both belt and suspenders. Let me suggest that if you hitch your wagon to the belt that the suspenders won't be necessary. The more the sweetness of paradise pulls you, the less push you need from the sourness of godlessness. Therefore, it behooves us to hitch our wagon to the Star of Bethlehem and Calvary - and I am not referring to a celestial body in the sky.

That the Son of God was willing to do Calvary for us tells us that there is nothing that He won't do for us.

The Mass

Why do I go to Mass? I go for very selfish reasons. I go for the treasure. The Mass is one of the places - there are others - where the treasure is buried. In the manner of pirates, the most Holy Trinity bury heaven’s most precious treasure on earth at Mass in tiny scraps of bread and small sips of wine (Revelation 3:18). Heaven’s most precious treasure is making me rich. Going to Mass is like going to the bank and making a withdrawal from someone else’s account whose owner is overjoyed to share his wealth with me (Matthew 6:19-21).

The Mass is the party that the most Holy Trinity throw for the Son of God to celebrate his victory over the serpent. What is the victory being celebrated?  The serpent attempted to extinguish the bonfire of love that burns for us in the most sacred heart of the Son of God. We tortured and killed him. He suffered and died. Yet, he did not stay dead and he did not stop loving us.

Recall that the evil we did to him ought to have, at the very least, pissed him off. It ought to have antagonized him. It ought to have earned us a place on his shit list. It ought to have provoked his natural instinct for justice. It ought to have triggered his reflex for revenge, retaliation and retribution. It ought to have transformed him into our enemy - into a misanthropic monster - into the God who hates us. It ought to have shifted God from the pro-human team to the anti-human team with the serpent and his minions. When the fuse is lit, the bomb ordinarily explodes. But, remarkably, it did not. The fuse worked but the bomb was a dud Isaiah 55:8-9. The evil we did to him did not extinguish his love for us or reduce it by even the slightest degree Isaiah 55:8-9. He clung to his love for us, held tight and refused to let go. God let us get away with murder - with deicide Isaiah 55:8-9. Such is the nature of God The King! Wow! Our God is a beneficent philanthropist not a misanthropic monster. This is the good news of great joy - very good news for us indeed.

God is our king. His palace is the Mass. His throne is the most Holy Eucharist. His kingdom is at hand.

The Telescope

The bloody wounds that we opened in the body of Christ are the connection between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. They are so important that our most Holy Eucharist points to them. The body and the blood point to the wounds. The wounds are the connection between body and blood.

On the near side of the bloody wounds is the Crucifixion. On the near side is his ignominious defeat. We tortured and killed him. He suffered and died. The Crucifixion is the story of the evil we did to him. 

On the far side of the bloody wounds is the Resurrection. On the far side is his glorious victory. He emerged from the black hole of death still alive and still in love with us. 

The bloody wounds are a telescope through which we can look from the Crucifixion to the Resurrection and vice versa from the Resurrection to the Crucifixion. The bloody wounds pierce the veil between heaven and earth. By looking through the telescope, we catch a glimpse of heaven from here on earth. 

The Crucifixion and the Resurrection are the two chapters in the autobiography of God. The Crucifixion and the Resurrection are the diptych that the Son of God painted to reveal to the world the identity of God. Who is God? God provided the answer in the combination of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. 

That he emerged alive from the dead is the proof that Jesus is God. Nobody emerges alive from the black hole of death. He did. 

That he emerged from the dead still in love with us is the proof that there is more to God than omnipotence. Omnipotence is but one detail of divinity. There is another detail that is relevant to us. Divinity is love. Moreover, that his love for us survived the evil we did to him is the proof that his love for us is indestructible. That the evil baptism into which we immersed him did not extinguish his love for us or reduce it by even the slightest degree tells us that nothing can.

To understand the nature of God, we must look through the bloody wounds we opened in the body of Christ as though they were a telescope and behold the Crucifixion, the Resurrection and the connection between the two. Anything less distorts the nature of God.

On the near side of his bloody wounds is the sourness of godlessness. On the far side of his bloody wounds is the sweetness of paradise. The piercing and opening of the bloody wounds in the body of Christ pierced and opened the veil between heaven and earth. Through his bloody wounds goes the escape. The escape starts in godlessness, passes through his bloody wounds, and finishes in paradise