VOICES — From Three Kingdoms

By Lenora Grimaud

A million voices clamor for our attention—voices from within us and outside us—many of them false and many of them true. Without our awareness, they make their way into our minds and hearts and become imbedded, or recorded, in the vast computer bank of our personal unconscious. Sometimes without our awareness and sometimes with our awareness, we find ourselves constantly opening them up, like documents on a computer, and printing them out through our emotions, feelings, words and actions. Without our knowing how, these many voices seem to control our lives and our destiny. Where do these voices come from? How do we discern whether they are of the truth or false—good or evil? How can we catch them at the on-set, so that we can delete them instead of filing them? How do we scan them for viruses?
Voices of Reason from the Kingdom of Humanity

The kingdom of humankind is the realm of human nature. In this kingdom, the human intellect is God, and the only voices listened to are the voices of reason. The authorities in this realm are usually Humanists, Agnostics, and Atheists. Anything of a spiritual nature, or outside of the human person, is to be made subject to human reason. The goal of life is to perfect the human person—to make humankind whole in body, mind, and psyche. This kingdom was split off from the kingdom of God due to original sin. The authorities in this kingdom have become so enlightened about the workings of human nature and of the mind that they reject anything having to do with the realm of the Spirit. If they do acknowledge anything of a spiritual nature, it must be conquered and made subservient to human reason. The material world is the only world and everything else is merely illusion.

The first voices we hear in life are written on our hearts—recorded by God within the created soul. These voices are that of Natural Law and Divine Law. They reveal to us that we are good; created by God in his image and likeness; that we have an intellect and a free will; that we can discern good from evil; that we have a desire for union with God; that we have a capacity, desire and need to love and be loved; and that we have a capacity for growth. The soul has knowledge of God and worships him. However, after the soul was infused into our bodies at conception, these first voices became blurred and often indistinguishable from the millions of other voices that rang in our ears. This is due to original sin, rejection of God by humanity, and their separation from the Kingdom of God. The body, soul, and nature of humankind suffered the consequences of sin: loss of the personal relationship with God; defective cells and genes; illness; death; personal sin; and loss of judgment and discernment—making humanity victims of the many voices in the world.

As humans, we usually hear these voices at the level of our senses—with our ears, through the experiences of our life, through observation, and through the teachings and words of others. We hear them from all the “authorities” in life—parents, teachers, heroes, Church, Government, Science, Medicine, Psychology, Philosophy, Society; through books, rules, regulations, laws, and Divine Law (revealed in Scripture). We also hear voices coming from concupiscence: Human appetites or desires which remain disordered due to the temporal consequences of original sin, which remain even after Baptism, and which produce an inclination to sin. 1264, 1426, 2515. (CCC Glossary)

Perhaps some of the authorities in our life have repeatedly told us, in word or action, “You are worthless, no-good, a failure, bad, evil . . . You deserve to be punished . . . You deserve to be dead . . . I wish you were dead . . . I want you dead.” These voices often enter from early childhood and get filed in our personal unconscious. Throughout our lives, they are called up and played over and over again, coming back to haunt us every time we fail to live up to our expectations or the expectations of others. Even when we become adults and our reason rejects these voices, they are still there to affect our emotions and behaviors. They haven’t been deleted. Some of the information enters us in the form of prejudice and false assumptions about the world, life, God, others, and ourselves. Our intellect files them before we can even scan them. We don’t have the truth (an anti-virus program) in order to scan them. Many of these documents have viruses, which affect and distort our emotions and perceptions the rest of our lives. These documents get played out—printed out—through our bodily and mental health, our emotions, feelings, thinking, perceptions and behavior.

Without self-knowledge and the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are not conscious of the many viruses, and false and destructive documents that control our lives. Because we no longer could hear the voices that were recorded on our souls—the law written on our hearts—we were in need of divine revelation given through the Law, which serves to tell us what is sinful, and show us our need for salvation through Jesus Christ. The Law—the Commandments—acts as a “spell check” and a way to scan for viruses. The Law does not save us, however—we are saved by grace. It is by grace, not reason, that we over-come sin, false teaching, and the many viruses we have taken in. Scripture says: You must give up your old way of life; you must put aside your old self, which gets corrupted by following illusory desires. Your mind must be renewed by a spiritual revolution so that you can put on the new self that has been created in God’s way, in the goodness and holiness of the truth. (Eph. 4:22-24). The truth will set us free—as scripture says—and the truth is Jesus Christ. Our human reason and perception has become impaired and can only be healed by the Truth that sets us free.

Voices of Creation from the Kingdom of the Cosmos

The voices of creation come to us from a kind of cosmic mind—where all the voices of creation are recorded—both good and evil. Borrowing from the psychology of Jung, these voices are stored in the Collective Unconscious, along with all the myths, legends, heresies, philosophies, ideas and beliefs, knowledge, vices and virtues, experiences—everything that has left a mark on humanity since the beginning of creation. This is the realm of good and evil spirits, who have an intellect, will, and energy or power of their own. Perhaps, this is the realm that scripture alludes to when it says, Finally, grow strong in the Lord, with the strength of his power. Put God’s armour on so as to be able to resist the devil’s tactics. For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the Sovereignties and the Powers who originate the darkness in this world, the spiritual army of evil in the heavens. (Eph. 6:10-12).

The kingdom of this cosmic mind is spiritual, in nature. Esoteric knowledge is their God. The authorities in this realm are Satan, evil spirits, Gnostics, and heretics. Anything of a material nature is seen as evil; only enlightenment, only knowledge and the spiritual realm is real. Everything else, everything material, is an illusion—even the human body is an illusion. The goal of life is to separate the spirit of humans from their earthly bodies through spiritual knowledge. This kingdom is also split off from the kingdom of God, due to original sin. The authorities in this kingdom have become so enlightened about spiritual forces that they reject everything having to do with the human body or the material world. The spiritual world is the only world and everything else is merely illusion.

Voices from this kingdom can come to us through the mediation of dreams and archetypes, visions, psychic experiences, esoteric practices, insights, spiritual voices, and all sorts of psychic phenomena. Many people delve into this realm on their own initiative, through occult practices and divination. Scripture and the teaching of the Church teach us that this is idolatry. Not everything in this realm is evil or false, but we lack the discernment and right judgment to distinguish between good and evil, the truth and a lie, and there are many “angels of light”—evil spirits who appear to be good messengers of God. How do we discern the source of these voices—whether they are good or evil, true or false?

In normal circumstances, we hear these voices through our thoughts, insights, dreams, and the teaching of other humans. We don’t often realize that they are outside of us. They don’t become a part of us until we say “yes” to them and allow them a place within our minds and hearts—until we believe them and give them power to enter. Like files that come into our “inbox” through the internet, we must be careful what we save or download. We can reject them, even after letting them in, with the truth, and by refusing to give them any more of our attention or power; we can delete these files. We can be delivered from them by the truth—Jesus.

Jesus delivered many people that were possessed by evil spirits. The goal of evil spirits is to destroy life. The Church teaches that evil spirits do exist—Satan exists. These spirits are entities who possess a will and an intellect, and specific powers. Many people today do not believe in the existence of evil spirits, of Satan, or of hell. This is very dangerous because it makes them all the more vulnerable to the influence of evil spirits. If we do not know who our enemies are, we cannot protect ourselves from them. Some people believe that evil spirits simply represent our own personal demons within ourselves—our “shadow,” and that we need to integrate them.

This is false. God does not create evil. We are called to over-come evil and be delivered from it, not to integrate it. We do have human weaknesses, frailties and imperfections that we have to accept, but they are very different from evil entities. Evil spirits seek to take control of our will. God created us to have a free will. People who dabble in divination and occult practices, seek illicit mind-altering experiences, or abuse drugs and alcohol, open themselves to oppression and possession of evil spirits, which in some cases may require some form of deliverance or exorcism.

Many people who are diagnosed as having clinical depression or personality disorders experience manifestations that seem to mimic oppression or possession of evil spirits. They hear voices telling them to do terrible things; they hear voices that tell them lies; they see visions and horrible images; they experience all sorts of psychic phenomena; they have night terrors and horrible nightmares; some even have false religious and mystical experiences—seeing angels and Saints. All of us are born with many defective genes that can affect us physically, mentally or emotionally. They can cause a chemical imbalance throughout our whole system.

For some people, this can be very severe and may require medication to give them control over their lives. Many mental and emotional disorders can induce hallucinations, illusions, and a disordered perception of reality. Our environment can also cause a chemical imbalance—the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the chemicals we take into our bodies. This is not the same as possession of evil spirits, although it can mimic many of the manifestations of evil spirits. However, in some instances those who suffer from mental illness, being very vulnerable, may also become possessed or oppressed by evil spirits.

Even those who are of sound mind can be oppressed by evil spirits. There are many accounts of Saints who underwent spiritual warfare, or oppression by evil spirits. Whether these experiences are caused by a clinical imbalance, a mental disorder, or the result of evil spirits, they need to be rejected. Evil spirits come to condemn us, to accuse us, to fill us with guilt, self-condemnation, and self-hatred. They come to rob us of faith, hope and love. Evil spirits come to deceive us—to lead us to sin—to lead us to pride and vanity; to anger, hatred and unforgiveness; to lust and uncontrollable passions; to envy and jealousy; to avarice, covetousness and greed; to laziness and apathy; and to gluttony.

Voices of the Holy Spirit from the Kingdom of God

The third kind of voice comes to us from God—from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, received at Baptism—through material and spiritual sources. Jesus, the Son of God, became human in order to make us whole in body, mind, soul, and spirit, by giving us his spirit to reunite us with the kingdom of God. He did not come to save only our spirit, or only our body and soul, but to transform us—body, mind, soul, and spirit—into the creation God intended us to be, through union with God. God see all of creation as good, the material world of nature and the spiritual world through which he created it. The kingdom of God on earth is Jesus Christ. The Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is God. The authorities in this realm are both, human and divine—the Church and all the saints making up the body of Christ.

Jesus came to bring us into an intimate and personal relationship with God, into a marital covenant with God. Those who are in this relationship with God listen for his voice in everything. They do nothing without first bringing it to the attention of God in prayer. A marital couple who are truly married, know that they are no longer two, but one. They know that every choice and decision they make will also affect their spouse as well as their self. They do nothing without collaborating with their spouse. They want to please each other and are concerned about the well-being of their spouse as much as their own well-being. They share with each other all their wants, needs, hopes, dreams, and desires. They listen to each other. They would never think of taking a trip or making any life choice without conferring with their spouse—or against the wishes of their spouse.

If Jesus is our spouse, and his Father is our Father, and we are in an intimate relationship through the Holy Spirit, we can expect God to speak to us, even in the smallest matters of our life. We seek his will in everything. We bring everything to him in prayer and we listen for his response. God is part of every decision and choice in our life—part of everything we do, think, and say. We go nowhere unless he “sends” us. He “calls” some to religious life, some to the Priesthood, some to marriage, and some to remain single. But, no matter what state of life we are called to, we are all called by name to become Saints—to be his disciples.

If we make our home in the kingdom of God, we can expect to hear the voice of God. Jesus said: I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep. (John 10:14-15). Even those who suffer from mental illness and those who are psychologically unbalanced can hear the voice of God, because God hears the cry of the poor. Even if their reason is impaired, and they can’t always articulate, sensibly, what they see and hear, they recognize the voice of God when they hear it. However, the unbalanced and mentally ill are usually judged by others as hallucinating or delusional.

Voices of God can come to us from within and outside of us. They come to us through Scripture, the Sacraments—especially the Eucharist, through prayer and contemplation, through spiritual direction and other people, through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and through all of nature. Sometimes the voice of God comes to us through a still, small voice—a kind of “knowing” deep within our heart, or soul. Sometimes, God comes to us through mystical experiences—visions, dreams, locutions (voices), apparitions, angels, Saints, Mary and other supernatural experiences.

God can even speak to us through secular books, movies, songs, and events. There is no end to the ways in which God can communicate with us. God comes to console us when we are grieving or down, to correct us when we are in error, and to warn us when we are in danger. He comes to heal, teach, enlighten, and guide us. Do we recognize the Lord? Do we hear His voice? Or, are we blocked by all the false information and viruses that we’ve taken in? Do we hear his call amidst all the other voices, clamoring for our attention?

It is often difficult to discern between what comes from our own nature, what comes from the cosmic world and evil spirits, and what comes from God, because we are still in the process of being purified. We need to pray for the gift of discernment that comes from the Holy Spirit. We need to know scripture and the teachings of the Church, and of the Saints. We can trust and know that anything that leads us away from God, away from love, is not from God; anything that leads us to sin is not from God; anything that conflicts with natural law, divine law (scripture) and the teaching authority of the Church is not from God. We also need to test these voices by looking at the fruit. Does it bring joy and peace? Is it confirmed for us through other authorities in our life, such as spouse, parents, community, spiritual director, or the Church?

Before we presume that we are hearing the voice of God, we need to take a look at our lives and our relationships to see if we are in need of conversion. Are we living in conformity with the will of God—keeping his commandments, receiving the Sacraments, and praying daily? Have we forgiven everyone who has ever hurt us in any way? Have we made any attempt to make amends or to heal all broken or damaged relationships in our lives?

Nothing is impossible for God, of course. We know that he can speak, or reveal himself, even to those who are not in relationship with him. He can speak to even the most hardened hearts, and even to those who are spiritually dead. When he does, it is a call to conversion. In ordinary circumstances, however, if we do not have a contrite heart—if we do not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit—if we do not have faith in God—if we do not pray and listen for his voice, we may hear voices, but more than likely, we will not hear the voice of God.

THE BEATITUDES

By Lenora Grimaud

The “Beatitudes” reflect the image of Jesus, and the kind of life he would live on earth. Jesus chose to become human—to be like us in all things except for sin: His state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are; and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross (Phil. 2:6-8). Because he chose to become human, he also willingly accepted death on a cross. He said: The Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me; I lay it down of my own free will, and as it is in my power to lay it down, so it is in my power to take it up again (John 10:17-18).

The greatest act of God’s love was not that he died for us, but that he chose to be incarnated—to be with us—to share in all that human beings experience. In choosing to be like us, he refused to use his divine power to avoid death on a cross. Death of the body is part of what it means to be human. The last enemy of God is not death of the body, but death of the soul—the loss of consciousness of God and his love for us.

Because of sin and evil in the world, the innocent—the poor—the little ones—are persecuted and often even killed by the not so innocent. Perhaps this is because the innocent are like mirrors that not only reflect God, but they also mirror the image of those who look upon them. Because Jesus was the perfect image of God—holy and free of sin—it was inevitable that he would reflect the truth and evil would seek to destroy him. God knew this before he chose to become human.

The power of the Holy Spirit delivers us from sin and enables us to experience the mercy and forgiveness of God. The Holy Spirit enables us to forgive others and to be merciful. The Holy Spirit enables us to love as God loves us. Jesus had to die a mortal death, like all of us, and rise from the dead. He had to return to the Father in order to send us the Holy Spirit—his spirit.

All humans are called to accept and carry their own cross—Jesus said: If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me (Mat. 16:24). To me, this means that God is calling us to be like him—to be free from sin—holy, poor, little, and humble; and to accept the consequences of that holiness. He is calling us to accept all that life brings us—our strengths and our weaknesses, our power and our limitations, our gifts and our losses. He is calling us to be with him as he is with us—for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad—until death.

Jesus is not calling us to seek or look for suffering and death—He came to give us life. He is not calling us to run away from suffering, either. He is not calling us to sacrifice our life, but to live it fully for the glory of God. He is not calling us to be him, but to be our own true self—in union with him. God did not come to clone us into a copy of Jesus Christ, his Son. He came to enable us to be who he created us to be, in his divine image and likeness. He did not come to separate our body from my spirit (soul) but to integrate them and make us whole. He is calling us to love as he loved. It is impossible to love without suffering the rejection of our love from others, at least sometimes. Love is unconditional and sacrificial—giving ourselves away. The cross that Jesus asks us to carry is to embrace the “Beatitudes:”

Blessed are the poor in spirit: theirs is the kingdom of God—This is also the first step of Alcoholics Anonymous, and why it has been so successful: “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.” Poverty of spirit is to recognize that we are powerless over sin (disorder) in our life, and that without God our life is unmanageable, and will lead to death; it is to hunger for God, to be needy, to be vulnerable, to be powerless—to acknowledge our powerlessness. Poverty is total dependence on God for everything—to be detached from everything that is temporal, possessing nothing of our own, clinging to nothing, except for God.

Blessed are the gentle [meek]: they shall have the earth for their heritage—To be gentle is to be child-like, open, humble, teachable, docile, bending, accepting, yielding, movable—not proud, arrogant, rigid, stubborn, or stuck in our own space.

Blessed are those who mourn: they shall be comforted—To be repentant—sorrowful for sin—desiring reconciliation; hunger for God, for union, for wholeness; in need of comfort and love. To mourn is to be grieving a great loss; to mourn the loss of goodness in ourselves and others; to share in the losses of others—to suffer with them—empathy and compassion.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for what is right: they shall be satisfied—This is to desire goodness—a love and desire for virtue, holiness, truth, and God’s will to be done; to hunger for God’s will; to hunger and thirst—yearn to love God and others—to serve God and others.

Blessed are the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them—This is to forgive everyone who has ever hurt or offended us in any way; to desire their wellbeing—desiring mercy and good for them; to pray for them—to let go of resentment, bitterness, hatred, anger, and the desire for revenge; to be non-judgmental, and to rejoice when others are forgiven or blessed. To be merciful is to love, unconditionally.

Blessed are the pure in heart: they shall see God—This is to be naked before God—to bear our heart and soul to God; to be humble—knowing who we are and who God is; to have pure intentions—without malice or manipulation—to be unselfish; to be real and authentic—free of the false self; to be honest and truthful—without denial, masks, deception, pretense, guile, and manipulation—what you see is what you get; to be child-like—dependent on God

Blessed are the Peacemakers: they shall be called sons of God—This means that we desire relationship with God and mankind; we desire unity, peace, and harmony—communion, community, and universal brotherhood. It means that we are willing to make amends—to do penance. Peacemakers strive to reconcile everyone—to end war and violence.

Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of right: theirs is the kingdom of heaven—This requires faithfulness, trust in God, readiness to take risks—to take a stand for truth and justice, loyalty, and fidelity. It is the willingness to suffer rejection, shame, persecution, and even death for the sake of the kingdom of God—to be a witness for God and his kingdom. It is to suffer for faith, hope, and love.

CLOTHED WITH POWER FROM ON HIGH

By Lenora Grimaud

In the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 16:15-18, Jesus commissions his disciples to go forth and proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. He describes some of the signs that will accompany believers in their mission. The message behind these signs is that they will be clothed with power from on high. People will know that God is with them, that what they do does not come from any ordinary human power or strength.

These believers will heal people that Medicine cannot heal; they will have a wisdom that none of the philosophers and great thinkers amongst mankind can obtain; they will have a knowledge beyond the knowledge of Science; they will be able to communicate their message to people of different and various languages; they will speak in languages that they do not know; they will deliver people of demons that Psychology cannot accomplish, no matter how great its knowledge of human behavior and the workings of the human mind; they will not be able to be destroyed by fire, poison, sword, beast, water, or any of the elements of nature and mankind—until, and unless, God allows it for his glory.

This is why God often chooses the lowly, the illiterate, the common, the poor, the handicapped, mere children, and even zealous enemies of God like St. Paul, to be his disciples and to manifest his power in them—lest anyone should doubt that it is by the power of God. The world will know that God is with them; that they are clothed with power from on high, and that their works do not come from any natural powers of mankind.

Take yourselves for instance, brothers, at the time when you were called; how many of you were wise in the ordinary sense of the word, how many were influential people, or came from noble families? No, it was to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, and to shame what is strong that he chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen—those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything. The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As scripture says: “if anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord.” 1Cor.1:26-31.

The signs of the power of God are manifest in all of the lives of the Saints—in various ways and to various degrees. The Saints witness to the power of God and his presence in the world. They were clothed with power from on high. All believers are called to be Saints—to be clothed with power from on high.

THE INCARNATION

By Lenora Grimaud

Why did God incarnate himself into a human being who is like us in all things, except for sin? The only plausible answer is “love.”

God loved us so much that he wanted to be with us—in union with us—in an intimate relationship with us. He wanted the very best of life for us. He wanted our happiness for all eternity.

Love is relational, the free act of giving and receiving between persons; anything less is not love. Love cannot be one-sided; God’s love comes to us only if we receive him. God is love, and God is relational—a relationship between three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God wanted to bring all of humanity into that relationship through love—through the Holy Spirit—by uniting humanity in his Son—Jesus Christ—fully God and fully man.

God had to become human in order to draw humanity into himself through his only Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus, God and man-kind are made one. Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved. (John 3:16-17). As the Son of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share in one divine will—perfect love—truth, light, life, and power. When the Son of God became man, he took on a limited body of flesh—a human will, understanding, intellect, feelings, imagination, memory, emotions, and senses; he became fully human.

As a man, Jesus humbled himself before God, submitting his human will and his earthly being to the will of God, out of love. His state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are; and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross. (Phil. 2:6-8).

He surrendered himself to love, for love, in love, for the sake of all humanity. He modeled for humanity the way in which humans are to relate with God and one-another. He yielded his humanity to the power of the Holy Spirit in the way in which all humans would be invited to yield to the Holy Spirit.

In this way, he became the New Adam, the first-born of a new humanity: “The first man, Adam, as scripture says, became a living soul; but the last Adam has become a life-giving spirit. That is, first the one with the soul, not the spirit, and after that, the one with the spirit. The first man, being from the earth, is earthly by nature; the second man is from heaven. As this earthly man was, so are we on earth; and as the heavenly man is, so are we in heaven. And we, who have been modeled on the earthly man, will be modeled on the heavenly man.” (1Cor.15:45-49).

The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus is the Word of God, and that the Son of God always existed with the Father, and that through the Son, all of creation came to be: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him.” (John 1:1-5, 10).

God became man in order to reveal himself to man-kind. Jesus came to reveal the Father, and the love between the Father and the Son, to man-kind. Not only that, but he came to give us the power—the Holy Spirit—to become children of God. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God. As children of God, we will see his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only-begotten Son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:12, 14).

The world cannot receive this grace and truth. To the world, truth is relevant, not absolute; it is always changing. Only the children of God can receive the truth because Jesus is the truth: From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him (John 1:16-18). God loved us so much that he wanted to share in our suffering—to suffer with us and for us. It is through the passion of Jesus Christ that the compassion and mercy of God is revealed to humans. A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).

In Jesus Christ, God lays down his life for humanity. Humanity can never say that God does not know what it is like to be human and to suffer the frailty of human nature. Humanity can never say that God has not walked in our shoes. However, God didn’t need to become man in order to know us or to understand human behavior. He became man in order to reveal to us that he knows us and understands us. He became man in order that we might come to know God.

Every human being is unique and cannot be fully known by any other human being. After all, the depths of a man can only be known by his own spirit, not by any other man, and in the same way the depths of God can only be known by the Spirit of God. Now instead of the spirit of the world, we have received the Spirit that comes from God, to teach us to understand the gifts that he has given us (1Cor. 2:11-12).

Without the grace of God, we cannot even fully know ourselves, because of blindness and our human limitations. But, God knows us through and through—our every thought, word, and action. He knows our limitations and potential, our weaknesses and strengths, our feelings and emotions, our desires and inclinations, our motives and drives, our vices and virtues, our every sin and every good deed. God knows our past, present, and future. Nothing about us is hidden from God because he is pure light, pure truth. We are utterly naked before God—all is exposed.

God loved us so much that he wanted to communicate with us in our own language—in words and actions that we can comprehend—in order to reveal his love to us and his will for us. Jesus came to conform us to the “truth”—to transform us by the truth—while there is still time, because if we are not conformed by the truth, the truth will be Hell for us. The brilliance of the light, which is God, is unbearable to those who live in darkness.

This light is the final judgment. We will either embrace this light with joy or blindly run from it, right into Hell, with fear and self-hatred. The only way that God can protect us from the judgment of truth and prevent us from running away from the light, into Hell, is by shielding us from the fullness of his glory and light—by hiding himself from us and letting us discover him through the darkness of faith. Purgatory is a place of partial light—separated from the fullness of the glory of God until we are purified and can embrace the light of truth.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a great grace given to us on earth in order to conform us to the truth, and transform us by the truth; to prepare us to walk into the light. Jesus said to Nicodemus: “For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved. No one who believes in him will be condemned; but whoever refuses to believe is condemned already, because he has refused to believe in the name of God’s only Son. On these grounds is sentence pronounced: that though the light has come into the world men have shown they prefer darkness to the light because their deeds were evil. And indeed, everybody who does wrong hates the light and avoids it, for fear his actions should be exposed; but the man who lives by the truth comes out into the light, so that it may be plainly seen that what he does is done in God.” (John 3:17-21).

We are so self-centered, blind, and fearful of the light that we choose to believe that God sent his Son into the world to judge us, as a final test of allegiance to God, as though he were some tyrant dictator who wants to establish his power over us. Those who accept his Son will be saved and those who reject him will be punished for rejecting him and destroyed.

We do not realize that the whole world—the good, bad, and indifferent—was already doomed to an eternal life of darkness, fear, violence, torment, and self-hatred—Hell—because of sin. God sent his Son into the world to rescue us—to save us—from this eternal Hell that was our destiny.
Jesus is the light that has come into the world. He came to us hidden in a body of flesh, to shield us from his glory so that we wouldn’t run away from him in fear and trembling. The Incarnation is God’s gift of love to humanity. Since we were incapable of being able to come to him, because of original sin, God humbled himself to come to us.

WHO DO I SAY THAT JESUS IS?

by Lenora Grimaud


I believe that Jesus is fully God and fully man. If he were only a man, he could not know me and I could not know him. His life and teaching would have no relevance for me, today. If Jesus were only God, I could easily dismiss him as a figment of my imagination—I could not have a personal relationship with him, and through him, come to know the Father and the Holy Spirit.

I believe that Jesus Christ is God—the only Son of the living God. I have not seen him, but I have come to know him, because he lives within my heart. Jesus is the source of a beauty and glory that does not fade, a truth that does not change, a goodness that cannot be corrupted by evil, and a love that is constant and never-ending.

If I did not believe this, I could not believe in, or love, the Church who taught me about Jesus—she would be a tyrant. If I did not believe in Jesus, I could not believe in the kingdom of God—a kingdom that is eternal.

Jesus is my hope—hope in a life that is not temporary, a kingdom that is not temporary. This hope gives meaning and purpose to the life that I have lived, the life that I am living now, and the life that I will live—that in the worst of times and the best of times, it is not in vain, not passing, not meaningless, not here today and gone tomorrow.

Without this hope, beauty is fleeting, goodness is futile, truth is only conjecture or opinion, and love is merely sentiment. Without this hope, the Beatitudes are merely a description of insanity; creation is only an illusion without rhyme or reason—a temporary pleasure—and we may as well “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”

Jesus is the reason for life—he is life.

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

By Lenora Grimaud


Unconditional love does not mean that we love evil as well as good. God does not love us because we are sinners, but, in spite of our sins. It is impossible to love evil. Unconditional love is seeing the good—seeing God in those who do evil things—in our enemies. It is seeing our self in them. God see’s his self in us because we are made in his image and likeness. Unless we see some good in our enemies we cannot love them. Our love is not authentic love, but merely condescension or pity. God calls us to love our enemies. Only through the grace of God can we love our enemies and those who do evil. Only through the grace of God can we see the image of God in those who do evil. This is the same grace that Mother Teresa had, that enabled her to see Christ in all those she came in contact with. This is the grace that we need to ask the Lord to give us. When we are willing to forgive our enemies, the Lord will give us the grace to love them.

Unconditional love is the kind of love that God has for all of humanity. Scripture says, It is not easy to die even for a good man—though of course for someone really worthy, a man might be prepared to die—but what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:7-8.
We can grow into the fullness of the image of God—like the Saints—or we can develop a deformed image of God. But, whole or deformed, God will never stop loving us.

EUCHARIST

By Lenora Grimaud

What is this “Eucharist,” this bread from heaven that we receive when the Community of believers gather together? Jesus never abandoned us. God is with us. From the time of the Resurrection and after the Ascension, Jesus is as present with us—body, blood, soul, and divinity—as he was when he walked the streets of Jerusalem in his resurrected body. This he promised—this he has done. Bread cannot become God, but God can become bread. The Incarnation is on-going, and continues on in the Eucharist.

One of the Commandments tells us: Thou shall not take the name of the Lord, thy God in vain.” To do so, is sin and fractures the soul of all humanity. If this is so destructive to the relationship between God and mankind, how much more so when we receive the very body, blood, soul, and divinity of the Lord, in vain.

To receive our Lord in the Eucharist without being aware of what we are receiving is to receive him in vain, and to bring down condemnation upon ourselves. As St. Paul warns the Community of believers—the Body of Christ: “Everyone is to recollect himself before eating this bread and drinking this cup; because a person who eats and drinks without recognizing the Body is eating and drinking his own condemnation. In fact that is why many of you are weak and ill and some of you have died.” (1Cor.11:28-30).

Jesus is not only fully with us, fully human, fully divine, and fully alive in the Eucharist—he is also fully with us, fully human, fully divine, and fully alive in the Community of Believers—the Body of Christ. Who is this “Body of Christ?” It is all those gathered together as one body through their union with Jesus Christ. This is the whole Church, together with the Communion of Saints in heaven. One individual believer is not the Body of Christ—but, the whole Church, forming, one loaf, as scripture says: “though there are many of us, we form a single body because we all have a share in this one loaf.” (1Cor.10:17).

Not only is it important to recollect ourselves before we receive the Eucharist, it is equally important for the Church to be in communion with one-another. If we are not in union with the whole body of Christ through love, we are outside the Body of Christ.

St. Paul tells us: “If we live by the truth and in love we shall grow in all ways into Christ, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to its function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love.” (Eph.4:15-16).

It doesn’t matter whether we are a small household of believers, or a large Cathedral filled with believers, the whole “body of Christ” is present when we come together to celebrate Eucharist. Jesus said: “For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.”

(Mat.18:20). Jesus also taught: “On that day you will understand that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you.” (John 14:20).

Not only is it important that we believe—recognize—that the Eucharist is, in fact, Jesus Christ, we also must realize that the Community of believers is also Jesus Christ. Whatever we do to one-another, we do to Jesus Christ. Since Jesus is the Son of God and loves everyone, we also must love everyone—even our enemies.

John tells us: “Anyone who fails to love can never have known God, because God is love . . . We are to love, then, because he loved us first. Anyone who says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, is a liar, since a man who does not love the brother that he can see cannot love God, whom he has never seen. So this is the commandment that he has given us, that anyone who loves God must also love his brother.” (1John 4:8, 19-21).

It is not only our “brother” that we are called to love, Jesus also calls us to love our enemy. Love makes no distinction—it is all-inclusive. God is the Father of all. Jesus said: “But I say this to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Mat.5:44).

Whenever we sin—whenever we fail to love—we are cut off from the “Body of Christ.” When we sin, we reject Christ. When we reject Christ, we cannot remain in him. Our membership in the Community of believers becomes a “pretense.” It is like the “Judas kiss.” We take the name of the Lord in vain. To be a Christian—to be a follower of Jesus—is to take his Name. We bring down condemnation upon ourselves, when we fail to love.

Jesus tells us: “So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering.” (Mat.5:23). Jesus also said: “And when you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your failings too. But if you do not forgive, your Father in heaven will not forgive your failings either.” (Mark 11:25-26).

Whenever we gather together for Eucharist, we are living out the parable of the Wedding Feast that Jesus taught in Mat. 22:1-14. Eucharist, foreshadows the final consummation of the marriage between Christ and the Church—the Bride of Christ—which will bring about the Messianic Age. As the parable tells us, it is no small matter to attend the wedding without wearing a wedding garment (Mat.22:11-14). The wedding garment symbolizes “the good deeds of the saints.” (Rev.19:18).

When we gather together to celebrate Eucharist, we gather together to “worship God in Spirit and truth” (John 4:23). It is a time when believers come into union with one-another, and with God, through our union with Jesus Christ in the body of Christ and in the Eucharist. It is a time when we are made one, and continually being formed into the fullness of Jesus Christ. As St. Paul says: “In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself” (Eph.4:13). This perfect Man, is the whole body of Christ—not any one individual.

When we become the perfect Man, Jesus Christ will be made visible to the whole world, and our Lord will return in glory.

Eucharist is a time for spiritual fellowship—not “party time.” As St. Paul said: “Anyone who is hungry should eat at home, and then your meeting will not bring your condemnation” (1Cor.11:34).

Eucharist is a time when our eyes are fixed on God, not on ourselves or one-another; a time of reverence and awe; a time to be still and listen. It is not a time for entertainment. There is a time for everything, and Eucharist is God’s time to draw us into intimacy with him—if we are so disposed.

It is impossible to be in Christ if we hate the Church, or any part of the Church. This includes the Popes, past and present; the bishops, priests, and Religious; and every single member of the Church. It includes every Christian of every Denomination; it includes liberals, conservatives, fundamentalists, new age enthusiasts, and even those who have lost their faith or left the Church. It is impossible to be in Christ if we hate any member of any Religion, as well as unbelievers, agnostics, and atheists.

So then, to sum up: When we come together for Eucharist, we must recognize that we are the body of Christ—that we represent Jesus in all that we think, say, and do; we must acknowledge our sins and have true contrition; we must be reconciled with all and forgive everyone; we must recognize Jesus Christ in the Eucharist; and we must be prepared and open to receive the Lord and to enter into union with him.