HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

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from the text of the animation, HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 2  Discussion    

         Jesus had reached a milestone – he had fasted and was hungry and had come to a turning point or point of decision.  He was ready to face life choices and make lasting decisions.  This was to be a landmark in his life.

         Likewise, the One has come to a landmark in its life.  Something has to be decided, which is mainly to stay the course or to correct the course, but things will not remain the same either way.  If One stays on the course it is on, it will continue with a greater resolve, but if it changes course, it will be with determination.

         It does not matter whether one has fasted or feasted – there will still be a completion to either fasting or feasting.  Obviously one could continue to fast, and let the completion be their death, and likewise one could continue to feast, and let the completion be their death.  But more likely one will come to a point where they will decide to continue or to change course in a life decision that will be made with determination.

         Stepping back a bit, this sacred One relationship, Christlike, exists among the spouses as they balance whole

from the text of the animation, HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 3 Discussion    

 For me, the temptation to resolve mysteries with a belief in magic short changes the issue and defeats the purpose of the mystery.  Dwelling and deliberating on an apparently unresolvable mystery reveals numerous truths that likely shed light on the mystery without resolving it.  This leaves the door open to the unexpected and miraculous.  But attributing the mystery to magic short changes this process and the mystery fails to bear fruit.  The place holder or unknown of magic closes the door on further consideration and renders the mystery of the situation impotent.

 Whether Jesus could or could not have magically turned the stones into bread is not the point.  Jesus knew his situation and waited on God to provide, rather than grasp at a solution.  This is Jesus' life, in communion with the infinite, that loves and provides for Jesus and all of us.  To grasp at a resolution to any problem short changes the purpose God has for the situation one finds themselves in.

 I have heard that the temptation to turn stones into bread is the epitome of the economic solution.  To settle for an economic solution to existence is pretty much what economists and the Roman Empire had done.  Everyone

 What eye has not seen and what ear has not heard;

 Is taught by your Spirit and shines from your Word.”

Lord of Creation, Catholic Book of Worship, #498

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Sunday, May 6th, 2012

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from the text of the animation HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 4 Discussion    

 Bread or convictions – the eternal dichotomy !  Is it better to accept injustice so as to sustain our physical needs or to strive for justice at the expense of our physical needs?  This is dependent on whether our physical needs are met by the fulfillment of justice, or if instead, the two are independent of each other.  But then again, is it better to gain the world and loose one's eternal life, or to save one's eternal life and loose the world.

 Jesus' reply implies that the word from the mouth of God sustains, rather than just bread sustaining one.  God may send bread, but he sends other things as well, and the entirety of the word sustains, where bread alone is insufficient.  So Mabel may get you a (Black) Label beer, but there is more to Mabel than beer. It is the entirety of the situation that sustains, and this situation always includes the infinite, whether your other half of the infinite, your spouse, or plain old infinity.

 The temptation is to neglect the infinite, the whole of the situation one finds themselves in, and to just take what one decides they need, rather than let things play out and allow one's needs to be met by the infinite.  Attending to one's spouse may actually produce a beer without having to ask for it.   This is the point of this verse – that one is always tempted to neglect either the whole or the parts of a situation and act without reference to the whole or the parts of a situation and to just exercise free will and take what one believes they need.  Furthermore, one may even fight to gain what they either feel they deserve, or believe they have a right to maintain.  This is not forgiveness and this is not what Jesus did.  This is what Judas did.  Judas, to my mind, thought that Jesus would surely stand up for himself if he was confronted by the Jewish leaders, and he thought that Jesus just needed a push for him to take over. This is why Judas was a disciple, because he believed in Jesus' ministry, and this is why Judas proceeded with his betrayal even though he knew Jesus knew what he was doing. He likely took Jesus' acknowledgment of what he was to do as approval of his betrayal of Jesus.

 There is not ever any overpowering force demanding obedience – we are all free to choose life or else. Jesus ministry was not to dominate but to lure and encourage people to encounter and love God and their neighbour, infinity, for the wonder that it is.  So Jesus, in his life before infinity, would not grasp at what he believed he needed, but would trust infinity to love and provide for him and those that followed.  It is like the world of Disney's animated film,  The Jungle Book , in which Baloo the bear sings - “ Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities, forget about your worries and your strife. I mean the bare necessities, that's why a bear can rest at ease, with just the bare necessities of life.”  Jesus' bare necessity was his relationship with infinity, and the demands of that relationship.  He could have abandoned it at any time, yet he freely chose to accept it and be content with it.

 So the husband asks the wife to buy beer, if she really appreciates him, but her response dismisses his request

taken up.  Jesus was hungry enough to eat stones, yet he chose not to test God or himself by attempting magic.  He chose, rather than against magic, to be content and appreciate the solitude and clear head his environment was providing him, and to take advantage of that, to prepare for when he would not have solitude and be heady with wine. Rather than reject magic, he chose life.  The spouses, in ignorance, or perhaps just lack of infinite will, do not choose each other in this verse.  There is space between the pillars of the temple, but if there becomes too much space, the temple of the sacred One relationship, balancing whole and part, will fall.

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Mother's Day, Sunday, May 13th, 2012

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 Verse 5 5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.

from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter Four, New International Version

 Verse 5  5Then the devil took One downtown and placed them on the Order of Can-of-Duh list.

from the text of the animation HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 5 Discussion  

 For Jesus to just walk up and climb to the highest point in the temple, it must have been considered a public place.  Likewise, to just go downtown and put yourself on the list for the highest honour in the capital, it must be a public nomination.

 There was only an administrative distinction between religion and the state in Judea, as the Roman's ruled the state that would otherwise have been ruled by a king subject to the priests. Nevertheless, the high priest in Jerusalem, the holy city, was a political figure, regardless of Roman rule.  So whether religious or secular, achieving the highest honour is the topic of this verse.

 Jesus may not have thrown himself down and put God to the test when tempted by the devil in these verses, but he did allow himself to be brought down and crucified, so success or failure, achievement or loss, is not the issue here.  The issue is about doing things idly, to just try things out, rather than putting everything into achievement.  And this is the issue in this verse of the animation.  Why would one attempt to honour themselves, and put any effort into their being acknowledged at all? Is there not enough to do to keep one busy fulfilling their purpose, rather than pausing to receive honours? 

 Furthermore, is there any advantage to receiving an honour?  One may argue that recognition furthers one's purpose, but does it really draw the kind of attention that bears fruit?  Jesus frequently tried to keep his miracles quiet, telling the cured lepers to tell no one other than showing themselves to the priests to be acknowledged as having been cured.  Jesus did not rebuke all attention to himself, but he did rebuke the kind of attention that does not bear fruit – the seeking of signs and miracles.  He performed his miracles for their own sake, to help those in need, rather than to draw people to himself.  His teaching was enough to draw people to himself in a way that would bear fruit, or be productive and redemptive.

 Standing on the highest point in the temple, regardless of Leonardo DiCaprio standing at the bow of the Titanic and proclaiming himself “King of the World”, is a dubious honour.  Most honours are dubious because they only go to those who put every means at their disposal into achieving such honours.  This readily involves bending the rules, if not outright cheating.  This is the Canadian response to winners – we think of them as overzealous and prefer to content ourselves with those who are good enough.  This can become a political issue in the workplace, if not even in politics.  One who only does the job they were hired to do can easily find themselves alienating the other ninety per cent of the workforce who are busy dodging work if not down right relaxing until their shift is over.  Even management may take offence at someone who gets the work done correctly and on time.  So there are two ends to this sword – a group that is overzealous and a group that is under zealous – both will be a threat to an honest person.  Finally, when I delivered the Etobicoke Gazette advertising newspaper, I received an award for having a high collection rate – the rate of people I collected payment from compared to the number of homes I delivered to. This was truly a dubious distinction because, naively, I only delivered to those who would pay, and I never realized I was suppose to deliver to everybody and collect as much as I could !!  

 And then there is the idea that the first will be last and the last will be first!  How is one a winner in such an environment?!  Jesus may be the first among people, but he was definitely the last as he hung on the cross.  His greater honour was his criminal conviction and summary execution, rather than his standing on the highest point of the temple.

 And then there is the whole question of why Jesus did not take up a career as a priest, if he wanted to work with religious ideas and minister to people? The short answer is that he was teaching a new understanding that would not fit into the old way of doing things – new wine cannot be stored in old wine skins. His life's work was not anything that would achieve any present honour in his present society, but would achieve honour in a new society of his own creation.

 This time the temptation comes through the female spouse, who drags the male spouse downtown to place them

from the text of the animation HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 7 Discussion  - part A  

 Finally, now we come to it – Jesus' answer to the devil's temptation to throw himself down!   “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”  What is the issue here?  Is it whether to humble oneself, or is it about testing, testing God?

 Jesus did allow himself to be humbled – thrown down and executed.  The difference in this case would have been that jumping off the highest point on the temple would only be a test, rather than actually accomplishing something. This is the temptation – to test God's love, forgiveness, and forbearance.

 The best example I have, of the stupidity of testing, is my grade ten Ancient and Medieval History class.  We frequently had true and false tests with really stupid questions that put me off of history almost altogether!  The best example of such stupid questions is this   - “Socrates asked too many questions – True or False?”  Think about that . .. . Socrates was executed for corrupting the youth by asking questions, so he did ask too many questions, but then again, his questioning is the foundation of western philosophy!  This question is both true and false, and depends on the context to determine one answer over the other.  Testing is dubious.

 Furthermore, even in science, the whole idea of cause and effect can only be proven if one can control the entire environment, in every whole possible, every context, to determine whether one set of circumstances will precipitate a specific different set of circumstances.  And then to apply it, one can only be certain of the outcome if the circumstances are identical to those determined in the testing environment.  Having said that, if observation provides a whole or a part that illuminates a situation, then it informs, but again, unless one is aware of all of the whole and all of the parts, one cannot predict accurately.  Just ask a weather forecaster!  Testing can illuminate, but fails to prove anything.

 In the novel  Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance , the case is made that it can be proven that nothing exists.  I do not disagree with this, but what is the point?  If nothing exists, than what good is that argument?  At that point I stopped reading that novel.  It may be a fact that gravity exists, but for something to fall it must have been elevated by something other than gravity, so even gravity has limits.  Anything elevating does not disprove gravity, and likewise gravity does not disprove elevation.

 And the Scientific Method cannot be the way one lives their life, because everything fails sooner or later, as one observes, hypothesises, tests, observes, hypothesises, and on and on.  Sooner or later one will loose their faith in everything, as everything fails eventually, and at this point one should realize that the Scientific Method itself has failed!  And so goes testing with it.  At this point, one begins to enter the realm of faith and spirituality, and if one avoids magic, religion begins to have meaning.  This is why testing God is irrelevant and misleading at best.

 But there is more to this quote than just the line in this chapter of Matthew.  In the animation text I have quoted Deuteronomy chapter 6, verses thirteen to sixteen, rather than just verse sixteen, as in verse seven of the fourth chapter of Matthew.  But first, lets look at the female spouse's response.

 The female spouse's response to the male spouses question “Why do we need this honour?”, is to quote Jesus

 Verse 7 part "B"  7Jesus answered him, “It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' c “  -c-  7 Deuteronomy 6:16

from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter Four, New International Version

 Verse 7  part "B"  / 7 One answered him, “ For ' whoever is not against us is for us . 'b “    / She continued,  “ ' Fear the Lord your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in his name.  / Do not follow other gods, the gods of the people around you;   / for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous god,   / and her anger will burn against you and she will destroy you from the face of the land.   / Do not test the Lord your God as you did at Mass . . .ah ! ' c “    -b-  7 Mark 9:40  ; -c-  7 Deuteronomy 6:13-16

 Verse 8  8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour.

from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter Four, New International Version

 Verse 8  8Again, the devil took One to a very high mountain and showed her all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. 

from the text of the animation, HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster 

 Verse 8 Discussion       

     The devil is wooing Jesus.  He is showing him all the worldly things he could do by applying his comprehension, understanding, and appreciation.

     Certainly Jesus had a lot of potential with his insight and understanding.  It has been said, at least in the    Jesus Christ Superstar    play and movie, that if only Jesus had come in modern times he could have done so much more.  The issue is whether to apply oneself to finite goals that can certainly be accomplished, or to apply oneself to infinite goals, where it is unknown what may be accomplished.

     I saw Justin P.J. Trudeau speak last night at the CMHA annual general meeting.  He referred to the conservative majority government making a law against drive by shootings, as a boutique issue, to pander to the older voters, who do vote, who do not want anything to change and want to feel safe.  But if you think about it, isn’t it already illegal to shoot anyone, so why do we need a law specifically for a drive by shooting?  Surely such a law will pass but it accomplishes little and nothing really changes.  Instead, Mr. Trudeau put forth the idea that both space and time have changed for society, with the global economy and the youth disillusionment with politics.

     A question was asked about the student protests in Quebec, and Mr. Trudeau suggested that since the youth do not vote it was easy for the Quebec government to shut them down.

     Mr. Trudeau’s point, as I understand it, is that the linear thinking of past generations that saw the world as infinite and never-ending has to change, and only the youth, who are accustomed to change, are capable of adapting and conceiving new understandings capable of solving the issues we are faced with today.  These issues are the collapse of the global economy and the inability of the current institutions to solve this problem.

     Mr. Trudeau put forth very good ideas about how things have to change, but where the Conservatives lack broad vision, they have diligently attended to details, and it remains to be seen if Mr. Trudeau, with his broad vision, is capable of working out the details.

     Jesus was a balance of whole and part, with both a broad vision as well as diligent attention to detail.  This gave him incredible, if not sacred and holy, potential.  Jesus chose to address the biggest challenges he could fathom.  These challenges were bigger than kingdoms and charted beyond this world, if not existence itself.

     In the animation text of this verse, the devil takes One to a very high mountain to show her all the kingdoms of

this world and their splendour.  The temptation of the sacred One relationship is coming through the male spouse, as he tries to woo the female spouse with all that could be accomplished by the sacred One relationship.  This is a serious temptation to the sacred One relationship.     In the nineteen-fifties marriage was held up as an ideal, and many who were unable to attain it were persecuted. Those persecuted were gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered (if there were any), cross dressers, and unmarried pregnant women.  This was because many that were married failed to apply their sacred One relationship to addressing the problems immediately around them by focusing on infinite goals, of living with God in a heaven on earth, and instead applied their relationship to finite goals such as wealth, health, offspring and personal happiness, at the expense of infinite goals such as a perfect society where everyone prospers.  This practice was handed down to the next generation who were not taught to be aware of the priority of marriage and in the following half century marriage has failed.     Marriage, the sacred One relationship, has a lot to do with accepting reality and taking the attitude that “this will do” and that what one already has is sufficient to accomplish the immediate task one is faced with as they apply themselves to more infinite goals such as a perfect society.  If one is not capable of heterosexual marriage one may still seek out a balance of whole and part in many other ways and thus continue to progress toward infinite goals such as a perfect society.

     The Law is not to condemn anyone. It is only a means to see infinite perfection. Don’t judge, because the measure you use on others will be applied to yourself.  Condemnation is condemned.  In this sense I support the Pride movement because they seek a balance of whole and part with what is immediately available to them.

     Marriage as an economic and biological union for the purpose of procreation and wealth is by no means necessarily a sacred One relationship !  The argument that marriage is a natural union between a man and women so therefore can only be legal between a man and a woman is a cop out and not a legitimate argument.  Don’t get me wrong, I do not want to see same sex marriages consecrated in the Catholic Church, although I see no harm in having them blessed, to acknowledge the existence of a relationship balancing whole and part as witnessed and testified to by the spouses.  The point is that there must be a sacred One relationship, balancing whole and part, where the spouses are willing to suffer many deaths yet still maintain their spiritual relationship balancing whole and part.  This is absent in the majority of heterosexual marriages today!!!

 Verse 9  9”All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter Four, New International Version

 Verse 9  9”All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and subdue me.”

from the text of the animation, HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 9 Discussion        

 Where the devil is tempting Jesus, the person, the temptation in the animation, has come through the male spouse to tempt the sacred One relationship.  The male spouse is grasping at straws, offering finite accomplishments to the infinity bound sacred One relationship.

 Many people focus on eradicating evil, rather than promoting good. Eradicating evil, however, is a negative goal, as opposed to promoting good, which is a positive goal.  Either way, one's world is structured around their goal, and setting up a goal system should have positive infinity as the primary goal, because focusing on negative infinity as the primary goal will at least leave one bereft if they ever achieve their infinite goal.

 Furthermore, where are improvements to be found?  I assert that in the set of everything that is wrong there are the elements that when correctly oriented toward positive infinity, form the achievements of tomorrow!  Eradicating evil denies these elements and removes the opportunity for improvement by denying these elements that are essential to the solutions of tomorrow!

 This is forgiveness – this allowing of negatively oriented elements so that they may have the opportunity to orient toward a positive infinity.

 Verse 10 10Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' d “        -d-  10 Deuteronomy 6:13

from Gospel of Matthew, Chapter Four, New International Version

 Verse 10  10She said to him, “Away from me, Satan! Did I not just quote 'serve him only.' c “   -c-  10 Deuteronomy 6:13

from the text of the animation HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 10 Discussion    

     Jesus affirms that he will devote himself to infinite goals, or rather, THE infinite goal, which also affirms that there is only one infinite goal for everything.  It follows that all the other finite and lesser goals will be met by the satisfaction of the one infinite goal.

     The best example that I know of for why there is only one infinite goal is somewhat geometrical.  The resultant vector, of a group of vectors, is the equivalent to the group of vectors together.  It is like a path from A to B, from B to C and from C to D, being the same as the path from A to D.  This is an oversimplification.  The resultant vector could be explained by a force of 10 pounds pushing east, combined with a force of 20 pounds pushing west, combined with a force of 10 pounds pushing north; so that the resultant vector is the square root of 20 pounds west minus 10 pounds east, being 10 pounds west squared and added to 10 pounds north squared.  The resultant vector is the square root of 200 pounds or 14.1421 pounds roughly, in the north west direction.

     The idea is that the satisfaction of a multitude of goals can be achieved by understanding the primary goal of everything.   This is why Bible thumpers are so adamant – they are trying to get everyone to their own individual and unique goal !  This is why Bible thumpers are so intolerable – everyone thinks they are trying to tell us what our goal SHOULD be, rather than helping us achieve what we want.  This is the disconnect – what they want for us is what we want for ourselves, but we cannot see eye to eye.  Prayer, or rather pryer, where one prys at what they really want and how to get it, can illuminate or shed light on solutions, which demand certain things, requiring prying out solutions to those demands, and on and on.

     So in the animation text, there is only one infinite goal for both spouses, but again there is a disconnect, where the female spouse feels she must serve him only, and the male spouse wants to remain engaged with the female spouse and sort out this one infinite goal amongst them.

     There are many reasons to disengage oneself from a relationship – and all of them are futile.  When we cut

Verse 11  11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter Four, New International Version

 Verse 11 11Then the devil left them, and they waited on angels . 

from the text of the animation, HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 11 Discussion    

balance of whole and part, uniting heaven and earth, good and evil, God and people, Infinity and the individual.  Many believe that reductionistic thinking is God like, and many others believe that wholistic thinking is God like, and both are correct and incorrect, as God is beyond and both wholistic and reductionistic.  To truly approach God, the infinite, one must get beyond both being wholistic and reductionistic to a reality of Joy and infinite possibility.  Marriage is the fundamental way to do this, and it is as fundamental as gender.

 Other's propose that a spouse cannot bear the weight of God put on them by the other spouse, and this is true. But Jesus died carrying the weight of God put on him by the people, and this is our calling, to take up our cross and follow Jesus to our own resurrection of the body.  To try for anything less will achieve only that.  If we fail we will be forgiven, and may find ourselves in a position to pick up the pieces and try again, with a greater experience and wisdom.

from the text of the animation, HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 12 Discussion                  

             I remember, when I was dating Lois, the daughter of an unemployed Baptist Minister, and attending Yorkminster Baptist Church with her, she claimed that it was God's will for her to break up with me. At that time I bought two books just because of their titles.  One was  Decision Making and the Will of God , and the other was  Evangelism As A Lifestyle .  I bought them at a protestant book store, and I was Anglican at the time. I thought that decision making and the will of God was too easily glossed over by most people, and when I dated another Baptist, I remember remarking to their Baptist Minister that circumstances could be created by the devil as much as they could be created by God, so there is more to discerning God's will than just appreciating signs in one's life.  The other book title I found very amusing since even as an Anglican, I believed my lifestyle was my evangelism!  My experience of Catholics, both before and after my conversion, was that they were constantly ministering and evangelizing by and through their own lifestyle. This was John the Baptists' ministry as well – his life, as well as his teaching, was his ministry and evangelism.

             So just because John was in prison does not mean his ministry was at an end. Sure, he was unable to teach and preach, but he did send his disciples to ask if Jesus was the one, or should they wait for another. And he maintained his condemnation of Herod for taking his brother's wife.  This precipitated John's beheading.

             Sooner or later we all become unable to express ourselves and communicate, but this is not the end.  Our witness prevails through our choices and attitudes.  My mother was aggressive towards her nurses when she was given poor care in her last months, but she stopped pinching and punching toward the end, probably because she was unable to, but for me it seemed that her attitude had changed to one of accepting her circumstances.  If she had only accepted her circumstances earlier, and taken up the attitude that she was going to make her nursing staff look good by being a exemplary patient, they might have been more attentive and provided better care.  Who knows ?

             Martyrdom is not simply being killed for who you are, it is being faithful to the end, no matter what the end – death or any other end.  The Iroquois killed many Frenchmen, as allies with the British, but not every Frenchman kept proclaiming Christ as they were tortured, so much that they cut out their tongue.  My mother seemed to be faithful to proper nursing practice, being a Registered Nurse, and a Community Care Access Coordinator, who also taught Nursing, to the end.

             My understanding is that Galilee was a secular community.  This is where Jesus, as far as I know, began his ministry.  Although he only ministered to the Jews, with a few exceptions, he ministered mostly to the Jews who had gone astray, the secular Jews.  Although he did preach in the synagogues, or Jewish places of worship, he preached everywhere else as well.  He preached in the synagogues as a lay person, being a carpenter, rather than as a Scribe, Pharisee or other ordained religious teacher and official.  He was asked by what authority he ministers, but failed to give a direct answer.  He answered with the question “Was John the Baptist's ministry from God or from man?”, and the religious leaders who put the question to him would not answer for political reasons being that the people believed John's ministry was from God, yet the religious leaders denied John's ministry.  So to answer either way, as an ordained religious leader, would tempt fate.  Jesus was a regular person who chose to preach and minister to the outcast as well as the prominent and regular people, secular or religious.

             So in the animation text, the preacher from  Matthew's Three Fold , Joan, is apparently ministering

from the text of the animation HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 13 Discussion               

 What does where one, or the One, lives have to do with anything?  Really, it doesn't have that much to do

from the text of the animation HESUS JOY CHRIST /  Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 14 Discussion       

         In chapter nine of the book of Isaiah, he prophesies about the birth of the Messiah. Chapter nine, verse six reads :

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”     New International Version

         So let's consider what it means to prophesie. If one knows all the parts, one can predict the outcome, depending on whether the whole is consistent and without change. Likewise, if one knows all of the wholes, one can predict the outcome, depending on whether the parts change or not.  So when Jonah was commanded to prophesie to Ninevah, which he eventually did after chilling out in a fish, the parts, or the people, changed, and the destruction of Ninevah was averted.  Jonah was aware of the wholes, and could foresee the future, but the parts, the people, changed and changed the future of Ninevah.

         So when Isaiah prophesies about a light coming to the people in darkness, he understands the wholes and does not anticipate any parts changing.  This prophesy is taken to be about Jesus – his birth and ministry, and this quote is used to support his ministry in Galilee.

         But just as the book of Matthew quotes Isaiah 9, the second part of verse one, and verse two, I have quoted only verse one, up to where Matthew's quote begins.  Actually, Matthew's quote juggles the words a fair bit.

         So all this quoting of prophesies is generally used to show how there is order and awareness of that order.  If Isaiah could know, or be aware, of the coming of the Messiah, there must be an order that is apparent to Isaiah.  But just as we are all aware, today, of how spin doctors can massage the facts, details and parts to create an approvable whole, quoting and prophesying can be done pretty much by anyone with anything to predict anything.  The world is suppose to end on December 21st, this year, 2012, because the Mayan calendar runs out.  Jehovah's Witnesses have been predicting the end and the Second Coming since the late 1800's until today.  And don't forget the Y2K business at the last turn of the century, whether it was January 1st, 2000, or January 1st, 2001.  I remember actually getting a notice from my bank that they were ready for the turn of the century and that I need not fear for my bank account.

         So once again, we come back to a balance of whole and part. To predict anything, one must know all the parts and all the wholes.  And how does one go about knowing all this?  By paying attention !  If either the part or the whole changes unexpectedly, the forecast becomes incorrect.  But this has a flip side. If one is faced with insurmountable odds, one may change the whole or the part to overcome such odds.  This is what David did with the giant Goliath.  There was a part that Goliath did not expect.  This part was that David could drive a small stone with his sling, with such force and accuracy that it killed Goliath by striking him square in the forehead.  It must have been a formidable forehead, but nevertheless, David's shot was sufficient.

         These two ways of understanding and awareness fully complement each other, so that when the parts are exhausted, the wholes may prove fruitful, and vice versa. This is so common that it is almost always overlooked.  It is as simple as walking. The left foot can only stride so far, but the right foot is there to stride as well, and set up the left foot for another stride, which sets the right foot up to continue, and on and on again !  The potential is limitless !

         Consider Calculus.  The limit of a sum is the sum of the limits.  This limit of the series approaching the slope of a curve, is the slope of a curve at a single point, with rise and run both at zero !  This is using both the whole and the part to achieve what was considered impossible – the slope of a curve, normally calculated by rise divided by run, when the rise and run are infinitesimal – zero ! This is the possibility of balancing whole and part – infinity.

         The idea that one can prophesie is nothing when compared to the possibility offered by a full awareness of whole and part.  I prophesie that a full awareness of whole and part, female and male, would allow one an infinite awareness, even of the infinite person, God, and so much so that such an awareness would be as if the infinite person were right here with us, on earth.  There is so much possibility it can hardly be imagined.

         A homily was given by a newly ordained deacon last Friday at Our Lady of Lourdes in Elmvale, Ontario, to the pilgrims walking to Martyr's Shrine.  The idea that intrigued me from this homily was that an unborn baby has absolutely no idea what the world beyond birth is like. How could they possibly imagine jet aircraft, bunnies, chocolate, swimming, or anything else,  including meeting their mother from the outside.  All they know is that they are being forced out of everything they have ever known, and it must seem like the end of everything.  This can be likened to death.  It seems the end of everything, but who can imagine what is beyond death.

         The trick is to become aware of the infinite life before one leaves their body, so that they may choose life when the time comes.  I have witnessed the loss of everything and all meaning, or at least at the time it seemed so, only to find myself in much more wonderful circumstances beyond that apparent death.  And this balance of whole and part has the potential to bring us more than any unborn baby can imagine beyond their birth to new life.

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Tuesday, August 14th, 2012

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from the text of the animation, HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 15 Discussion                

            “. .. … Galilee of the Gentiles - - -”  A gentile was anyone who was not a member of the Jewish faith.  They were considered pagan, or at the very least, were secular. Almost all christians are gentiles to this day.  Some Jews are christian, but almost all christians are gentiles.  This is where Jesus began his ministry, in a Jewish district, full of gentiles.  Jesus' ministry was to the Jews, but “crumbs” fell from the master's table to be taken up by the “dogs”.  Paul's ministry was almost entirely to the gentiles.  He travelled from Judea to Greece and Rome, evangelising as he went.  Peter held down the fort in Judea, while Paul reaped a large harvest of believers from far and wide.  To the best of my knowledge, Philip went to India, and James went to Spain.  Jesus preached to the Jew's, but his apostles spread the word to the world.

           There was an issue that is presented in the book of Acts, where Peter has a dream where he is commanded to consume unclean animals, and refuses, only to be told to not call anything that God has declared clean, unclean.  This is taken that God wants to accept gentiles into the Way, the christian faith.

 Nevertheless, Jesus' ministry was directed toward the Jew's, albeit the secular and sinners.  I take the reason for this to be that Jesus needed to direct the Jewish faith, which at the time was a beacon for the world.  Being new, making all things new, Jesus' ministry was different, and this difference was seen as incorrect because it was different.  Jesus' ministry was new wine only containable in new wine skins.

           Likewise, the sacred One relationship, balancing whole and part, which may be consistent with Pope John Paul II's  Theology of the Body , is appreciated by, and directed towards “pop” christians, who may accept a deeper faith, rather than be content with customs.  It has been said that  Theology of the Body  is a time bomb in the Catholic Church, that will echo down through the ages when it eventually goes off.  Likewise, Jesus was foretold by the prophets, as  Theology of the Body  is based on the ancient faith, yet rejected by the clergy of the day.

           So in the first part of the first verse of Isaiah nine, there will be no more gloom for those who were in

 Verse 16  16 “. . .the people living in darkness have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of the shadow of death

a light has dawned.” e

-e-  16 Isaiah 9:1,2

from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter Four, New International Version

 Verse 16  16 “In the past she humbled the land of Zebulun and the land  of Naphtali,

but in the future he will honour . .. “ d

-d-  16 Isaiah 9:1

from the text of the animation HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 16 Discussion       

           I have taken another liberty in referring to God with a feminine pronoun. This could be taken as Wisdom, referred to in the feminine, if not God, referred to in the feminine.  Nevertheless, the gift of self discussed in  Theology of the Body  is implied to be a gift to God as the church, the Body of Christ, is given to God, and the analogy that this gift is like a marriage, where God gives themself freely to each of us, as we give ourself freely to God, as discussed by St. John of the Cross.  Can the analogy be taken as far as marriage, where the spouse is God incarnate to the other spouse ?  I'll continue reading  Theology of the Body  and let you know how it turns out.

            So whether it is Wisdom or the female spouse, she humbles the land where the sacred One relationship

from the text of the animation HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 17 Discussion        

           So begins the preaching.  On the one hand, Jesus preaches “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” and the sacred One relationship, balancing whole and part as Jesus himself embodied a balance of whole and part, preaches to all who encounter it - “Rebirth, or the kingdom of heaven is ne'er.”

            On the one hand, the kingdom of heaven is near, and can be attained by repenting, which is to stop,

from the text of the animation HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 18 Discussion       

           Everyone knows what a fisherman is, but a grifter is less commonly known. This is because it is slang, from the 1930's in the Great Depression in America, for a small time con artist.  These people, grifters, would make a living by confusing and outwitting someone out of their money or assets.  I know this term, grifter, from a movie that came out in the 1970's called  The Sting , which was about a small time grifter, played by Robert Redford, getting back at a big time gangster, with the help of a big time con artist, played by Paul Newman.  The movie's soundtrack featured big ragtime hits from the 1920's, such as “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin.

            So as Jesus begins to apply himself, the spouse of the sacred One relationship seeks to apply himself by

from the text of the animation, HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 19 Discussion     

           The people of God, the Church, the Body of Christ, is often compared to a flock of sheep, being led throughout their lives by a shepherd, who is what God or Jesus is like, always aware of His flock.  But then where do the leaders come from, and are they still following as they lead?  I would assert that leading and following are not that different, and really are practised simultaneously. 

           Consider the European explorers of North America.  Sure, they led the way into the wilderness, but they followed first nations guides, who worked for them. So the guides were told where the explorers wanted to go, and the guides told the explorers how to get there.  So the leaders followed, and the followers lead.

           “There are three that bear witness, the spirit, the water and the blood, and the three into the one thing are.”  That is a literal translation from the Greek that I remember, of a verse, First John 5:7, that is often used as a proof of the Trinity, the three in one Godhead of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Don't ask me how each of the three corresponds.  There is a constant relationship between Being, Knowledge of Being, and Love of Being, or instead, Doing, Knowledge of Doing, and Love of Doing.  Who is to say which is the leader ?

            Likewise, using landscaping as an example, the crew members follow the crew leader, each for their own reasons, and each at different tasks, yet the crew leader follows the manager as he leads the crew around the different sites, and the manager follows the owner, as well as the property managers, who are directed by the home owners. Yet the home owners are told what they can and cannot have by the owner, and this symbiotic relationship will or will not exist.  Each person is both following and leading.  The Apostles, when Jesus left them a prepared place, lead others as they followed Jesus  to martyrdom.  The flock is both following and leading.  The Church endeavours to lead the world to God, the infinite person, as the Church follows Christ.

           So in this verse, where Jesus says “Follow me” to Simon and Andrew, in the animation text, Simone and

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Tuesday, September 18th, 2012

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 Verse 20  20At once they left their nets and followed him.

from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter Four, New International Version

 Verse 20 20At once they left their line and led with them.

from the text of the animation, HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 20 Discussion        

            Without hesitation, surprisingly, the opportunity is taken up, and many question how the decision could be made so quickly, and without looking back. The assumption is that something was so obviously apparent that there wasn't a question whether one should or shouldn't take up the opportunity.  These are people who know where they stand and are capable of making a decision on the spot, fully aware of the circumstances surrounding the opportunity, and confident enough in their understanding to boldly act on their decision.

            This is the nature of the One, when anyone follows a balance of whole and part, holistic and reductionistic, female and male.  They are living in the moment with a vast comprehension of their situation and their purpose. It is like a fighter pilot, who not only takes their life in their hands, like a motorcyclist, but further as a pilot, without their feet on any physical foundation, other than air; and commits themselves constantly and repeatedly to the consequences of their many choices and decisions. There is all the thrill of the movie  Top Gun , and all the Joy.  This is real life, rather than a waking death.

            It is not reckless risk taking, but it does not shirk away from risk.  The awareness of the whole enables calculated risks, and the awareness of the part manages the details from moment to moment.

           Many people talk of giving one's life to Jesus.  Jesus the man is no longer with us so what are they talking about ? Jesus may be physically present in the Eucharist, but that may not be an obvious presence and using the same buzz words over and over again will not make the message any clearer. Neither will using the buzz words of whole and part and balancing them, make the message clearer, just perhaps be a different approach. Every generation must make the message their own in their own words.

           But balancing whole and part, as Christ is, leads to a wonderful life of adventure, communion, peace and Joy.  One may not know where it will lead or how it will end, if ever, but there is certainty as well as surprising Joy.

           In this verse, compared to verse eighteen, Simon and Andrew seem reckless and irresponsible to leave their nets and business, and Simone and Andrew seem to be taking a step toward responsibility by leaving the line they were stringing and taking up the use of the sacred One, as referred to by “them”.  If the sacred One spouse is virtuous, then taking up the use of him, rather than conning others out of something is a move toward responsibility.

           And sending out a virtuous person to do one's work may seem like an advantage to the person who sends them out, but a virtuous person may come across less than virtuous circumstances and proceed to resolve those circumstances to a virtuous end.  So there is a certain amount of honesty in a dishonest person who makes use of an honest person, for whatever end.

           Likewise, it becomes irrelevant whether Jesus knew the character of Simon and Andrew, and only relevant whether they are willing to do the will of Jesus, because the work he will send them out to do will forge them into virtuous characters.  And the work that the sacred One spouse does will bring the purposes of whoever leads with him to light, and begin to resolve those purposes to a virtuous end.

           Once again, the duties of priest, prophet and king are placed upon every baptized person, and rest with them regardless of that person's role in society, work or before infinity.  Balancing the whole and part of existence is a task constantly before any one who may become aware of existence – that is everyone.

           So let's discuss an idea that has been on my mind lately – intelligent disobedience.  It is a phrase that is common in service dog training.  The idea may be expressed by an example. If a blind person commands a service dog to lead them across a street, but the dog sees cars coming, the dog will disobey the command to cross the street.  That is intelligent disobedience.

           Perhaps all disobedience is intelligent. Certainly the person who disobeys sees some intelligence in their actions.  The problem only arises when the person who disobeys has a lesser awareness of the whole and part of the situation than the one who commands them.  Often the one who commands has a lesser awareness of the whole and part than the one who is to obey.

           When I was working for Etobicoke Electric, Mike told me to go to a site and hang the lights now that the plasterers had finished the ceiling. I arrived and the electrical boxes for the lights were in the wrong spot, and had old wires in them.  I realized that we had only left cable hanging down and did not remove the old electrical boxes, so the plasterers just pushed the wires up and plastered around the old boxes.  I could not make this clear to Mike on the phone, and he said “Are there boxes?  Then hang the damn lights!!”  A week or so later, I was unloading when I heard Mike yelling from the area that I hung the lights and had a laugh to myself because I knew he had screwed up the work because the person, Mike, who commanded, had a lesser awareness than myself, who obeyed. I should have intelligently disobeyed.

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Sunday, September 23rd, 2012

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from the text of the animation HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 21 Discussion     

           A bit of wordplay, where “. . in a boat with their father . .” becomes “ . . in the same boat as their father , . .”, is the core of this verse.  Hopefully everyone knows the expression: to be “in the same boat”, which means to share the circumstances with others “in the same boat”.

           First though, many people may recognize value in one, or the sacred One relationship, and begin to participate in that balance of whole and part.  Such people can come from anywhere, whether relatives, in-laws, co-workers, acquaintances or even strangers. Likewise, many people, no matter how close or involved, may overlook one's efforts to balance whole and part, including overlooking one's accomplishments at balancing whole and part. One may never assume that there will or will not be appreciation of one's efforts.

           These two in-laws, siblings of the female spouse, took notice of the sacred One relationship, and sought to include that relationship in their lives, so that it became an example of a balance of whole and part to them.  They were busy at maintaining their financial security, taking calculated risks to advance responsibly and independently. Yet they took notice of the sacred One relationship, and ventured into communion with the spouses, to understand further what had sparked their interest.

           This is very common.  Even the two landscapers, Simone and Andrew, took notice, even if they did not fully appreciate the balance of whole and part that they had witnessed.  This is like sowing seed – some sow and others harvest.  The seed may have been sown with Simone and Andrew, but the harvest was for someone else to take on.  With Mandy and John, there is a greater appreciation, but the busyness of their lives may have crowded out the maturing of their understanding of the benefits of balancing whole and part in the form of a relationship.  Perhaps they will recognize it again elsewhere, and invest themselves further into appreciating it.

           As life goes on, one may never anticipate where others who appreciate one's efforts at balancing whole and part may come from. I have been very surprised by who does appreciate my efforts, and who completely overlooks or dismisses my efforts.

           And once again, where James and John are called by Jesus, Mandy and John call the spouses of the sacred One.  It, again, does not matter who is following and who is leading, as even by following one may express their balance of whole and part, that those leading will consider considerably, so much so that they will in reality be following those they lead.

           This is the nature of balancing whole and part – it can seem volatile, unwieldy and destabilizing, but this is the great potential of this ever present guide – agility, diligence, facility, velocity and power. Consider a formula one race car – just the slightest motion on the steering wheel translates into a considerable steering correction.  These cars are finely tuned and designed to be so responsive that they are uncontrollable by a novice.  Yet this lack of control is the very thing that allows one to have so much control that they easily outperform other more manageable vehicles.

           This is the reason the Roman Empire fell, and this is the reason marriage is so volatile.  The many gods of the Roman Empire were easily understood and allowed a certain amount of control.  But when Christ came along and amalgamated the many gods into the one God, the understanding of goals and logical behaviour directed toward those goals became more complex as well as simpler – one god is simpler than many gods, but resolving many purposes to one purpose is a more complex undertaking.  So if one is to place marriage, the balance of whole and part, as the top practical priority, then lesser priorities will be overrided at times to defer to the priority of marriage.  This will confuse others who cannot justify placing marriage at the pinnacle of purposes. And actually pursuing marriage, a balance of whole and part, will mean that lesser purposes will be disregarded from time to time, when they do not serve the higher purpose of marriage, and this will be considered everything from a simple mistake to a capital crime.

             Marriage is so volatile, as any balance of whole and part is, because it is so powerful, and must be understood and managed.  The novice will crash and burn many times before he accomplishes much, as society has crashed and burned many times, especially in the dark ages of medieval Europe, since the beginning of Christianity. 

            Flight is a very good example of the power and volatility of balancing whole and part.  A modern jet is extremely powerful and capable of great feats, but the last century began with many deaths and defeats in the efforts to achieve reliable flight.  Indeed, many people thought it was sheer folly to even attempt flight, yet nevertheless, those who struggled were eventually successful, although it is still a highly complex skill and technology to attain and maintain.  Today, as discovered September 11th, 2001, flight is taken for granted.  Likewise, the social accomplishments of generic christianity are taken for granted, and one day the achievements of balancing whole and part, as well as the understanding of the necessity, primacy and power of this goal, will be taken for granted.

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Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012

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from the text of the animation  HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 22 Discussion      

            For James and John to leave their business and father to follow Jesus is a big decision, demanding a

from the text of the animation HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 23 Discussion    

               Once again, Galilee is a secular area, and this is where Jesus taught in the established religious institutions, as a lay person, preaching about a new thing called the Kingdom of Heaven.  He also healed “every” disease and sickness among the people.

Jesus was a carpenter, a tradesman, and not any kind of ordained religious leader.  He did however, proclaim a new religious ideal called, among other things, the Kingdom of Heaven. It is understood that this new religious ideal was based in the established faith and religion of the region, and Jesus called people of this established religious faith to follow him, whether they were in good religious standing, or not.  This included sinners, but did not include gentiles.  Jesus was open to gentiles appreciating his lead, but he directed his efforts toward the Jews.

 Jesus' healing “every” disease and sickness is an interesting statement. It is not generally understood that Jesus healed every instance of every disease, leaving an entirely healthy population in his wake. Rather, he healed those that came to him, and frequently gave credit to his patient's faith, saying things like “your faith has healed you”.

 It could be understood that Jesus healed specific instances of pretty much every known disease, from leprosy to demon possession, which is often taken to mean mental illness. This is how I understand the statement that Jesus healed “every” disease and sickness.

 Likewise, one spouse of the sacred One relationship gets by in the secular world, professing both in churches and elsewhere, as a lay person, about a new idea called the sacred One relationship, or marriage, balancing whole and part. He also “bore” every disease and sickness among the people.

 Getting by in the secular world means that one has to understand the collective mind of people who do not

being a religious devotee, not being provided for as such.  This spouse proclaims a new religious ideal called, among other things, the sacred One relationship, balancing whole and part, female and male, holism and reductionism, and communion and agency. It is understood that this new religious ideal is based in the established faith and religion of the region, and this spouse called people of this established religious faith to follow him, whether they were in good religious standing, or not. This included sinners, but did not include anyone other than those of a christian culture. This is open to members of other faiths appreciating this lead, but it is directed toward christians, whether in good standing or not.  This is because christianity is fundamental to any approach balancing whole and part, because christianity proclaims forgiveness as fundamental, rather than forgiveness as a special favour.  The path of marriage requires the method of Christ, based on constant fundamental ever present unfailing forgiveness.

 This bearing “every” disease and sickness is an interesting statement.  It is not generally understood that

 Verse 25      25Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,f Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.                      -f-  25 That is, the Ten Cities

from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter Four, New International Version

 Verse 25      25Large crowds of secularism, / .  municipalities,  / . churches, / . hospitals, / . and the far side led with them.

from the text of the animation HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Foretold

written by R David Foster

 Verse 25 Discussion            

           Sure – it is curious, perhaps, to know where the people who were fans of Jesus came from, but what difference does it make to us today ?  He was executed anyways, and probably most of his fans weren't fans any more after such a disappointment.

           We have already touched on how Galilee was a secular area, so this verse tells us that secular people were fans of Jesus.  Reading this scripture today tells us that secular people saw value in Jesus' ministry, and that there could be secular value in the Gospel for us today.  So how many religious people today are towing the line only as far as the secular value and not investing in the existential value of scripture and faith ?  How many secular people acknowledge that the secular values they hold have roots in religion ? 

           Balancing whole and part, female and male, has the advantage of both whole and part, but comes under attack for being wholistic, by those who only have faith in “part”, and also comes under attack for being partial, by those who only have faith in “wholes”.  This is christianity, balancing whole and part, female and male, each forgiving the other.  When one acknowledges value, essentially they are acknowledging an integration and balance of whole and part. Many people acknowledge only either the whole or the part, and will support only either of those two aspects, overlooking the balance of whole and part that accomplishes.  This is prevalent both within and without organized religion. This is rampant both within and without of organized religion.  Sunday school teachers impress the importance of the whole, even at the expense of the part. Preachers insist the importance of the part, at the expense of the whole. Almost all of society promotes and dismisses in ignorance of any balance of whole and part, yet balancing whole and part is the only thing that works, so often in an individual's understanding they are unaware that what they are promoting is a specific instance of a balance of whole and part.

            So the sacred One relationship presents value, by balancing whole and part, to society, and is put to work promoting either whole or part, depending on the inclination of those in control.  Society, and every part of society, leads with individuals that they have faith in.  Since the sacred One relationship has a great deal of value, the spouses are often called upon to lead on behalf of those in control.  This practice is prevalent.

            Jesus, as an original balance of whole and part, was able to shock and awe with his ability and ideas.  Today, the opportunity to balance whole and part is present to everyone, and so the capabilities of such a balance are taken for granted.  Rather than lead, the sacred One relationship is at work in the trenches, on the ground floor, getting their hands dirty and pulling themselves up by their boot straps !  Rather than taking the lead, like an executive or an officer, the sacred One relationship has the respect of its peers for what it can accomplish first hand.

           So where large crowds followed Jesus, there is an abundance of people looking to make use of the

Closing Notes - as previously posted for each of the last four Discussions

OVERVIEW 

This concludes the discussion of  HESUS JOY CHRIST /  Matthew's Foretold , as well as ALL  the discussion of the  HESUS JOY CHRIST  animation to date.