My brother Steve says: " Catholic The Church is binding on earth as it is in Heaven and always should follow the pattern."
This is the point! Either we are of the flesh, or we are of the spirit. The two are in opposition. Mammon versus God. This is the whole struggle of religion, whether Hindu, Christian, Muslim or Jew. Jesus says, âI am in this world, but I am not of this world.â The same applies to all of us. It is only a matter of understanding and accepting.
Who created the material world? Was it âthe Big Bangâ? Did it all happen âby chanceâ? And if it happened by chance, that all the material elements suddenly combined, with a bang, to cause creationâŚwhere did those elements come from? The so-called scientist has no answer.
Actually the material world is part of the kingdom of God. He is in complete control. âNot a blade of grass moves, except under His omnipresent will.â Therefore the material world is part of the spiritual world. And we have to choose. The material world dictates that we are servants of Mammon. And God and His son dictates that we are all His servants. And we have to choose. Therefore Stephen says: âCatholic The Church is binding on earth as it is in Heaven and always should follow the pattern.â Some may say that Steve is a little bit madâŚbut we could all use some of that madness.
The question may arise in our hearts: âIf God is so loving and so kind, and He wants our love in return, why has He created the material world which deludes us and causes us to think that the gratification of our material senses is the goal of life?â
The answer is there in the first part of our Bible: Someone made a choice, not to surrender our will to the supreme instruction of God, but to make a choice of independence. This is called temptation. Therefore we were placed in exile, outside of the Garden of Eden. That same temptation rules us today. Therefore we live outside of the Garden.
But God is very loving and very kind. So he sends His son, to give us a wake-up call. âYou are in the worldâŚbut you are not of this world. Please come back home.â
But where is this âhomeâ? This home is in our hearts. Because the material creation rests within the spiritual creation. âHeâs got the whole world, in His hand.â And the choice is ours, moment to moment. At one moment we are in the material world. And the next moment we can be in the spiritual worldâŚwhich is the reality. We are free to choose.
Itâs not simply a question of being a âmemberâ of a church, going through a ritual, or a ceremony. Those things can be helpful to us as reminders. Itâs about really getting clean, inside and out. Accepting the baptism of the spirit. "Like Jesus tells us: âAccept the yoke that I wear.â Understanding and accepting. Itâs a choice.
So Jesus says, âRejoice! for great is your reward in heaven!â This world is also in heaven. But we have to accept it: âThy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.â Donât we recite this every day?
This is the real meaning of being a Catholic. Joyful acceptance. âRejoice!â This is the price, the ticket. When we embrace the faith, the faith embraces us in return. Then we are freeâŚfree of being in bondage, in the service of Mammon. It is simply a matter of acceptance. âAccept the yoke that I wear.â
It is not that I am living on that platform. I am just trying to understand and remember. And in order to remember, Iâm turning to you, and discussing the path that we are onâŚthe path that leads âstraight to the gate.â