THE COLLECT
O gracious father, kindly prince, countless myriads of years have now passed since we were separated from Thee! We yearn and long to see Thy luminous and living face! Unstained we roam forth in Thy power, unstained we come again to stand before Thee! It is true we have not altogether been able to fulfill Thy will, but now be merciful to us, O gracious and royal God; we would forget our sorrows, we would live in the joy of eternal love! Amen. THE LESSON The lesson is taken from the Great Book of the Mandaeans: From the day when I came to love the Life, from the day when my heart came to love the Truth, I no longer have trust in anything in the world. In father and mother, I have no trust in the world. In brothers and sisters I have no trust in the world. In what is made and created I have no trust in the world. After my soul alone I go searching about, which to me is worth generations and worlds. I went and found my soul — What are to me all the worlds? I went and found Truth, as she stands at the outer rim of the worlds.
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One of the most wondrous things about meditation is that even small doses can be super beneficial.
We can throw out any metaphysical perspective and just focus on an incredibly practical aspect: meditation just gives our brain a much-needed rest. So I encourage you to meditate, even if you only have a minute or two to do so. In Christ, Steve All of the seasons, and certainly the Liturgical seasons, have different associations and energies to which they point.
But the Spring Christ Energy is one of the best. After the cold of winter, the warmer, lighter energy seems to carry us almost effortlessly, as though we were merely a wave in the ocean. And I enjoy this and hope you are as well. Perhaps this is one reason we celebrate Lent- to cut ourselves from the former energy and enter into this newer energy. Either way, I pray Lent goes well for you, and know that Christ loves you. In Christ, Steve This is a short entry, but I do want to draw everyone's attention to the fact that one is technically allowed to relax the Lenten vows on Sundays.
In Christ, Steve THE GOSPEL The gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Thomas: Jesus saw children who were being suckled. He said to his disciples: These children who are being suckled are like those who enter the kingdom. They said to Him: Shall we then, being children, enter the Kingdom? Jesus said to them: When you make the two one, and when you make the inner as the outer and the outer as the inner and the above as the below, and when you make the male and the female into a single one, so that the male will not be male and the female not be female, when you make eyes in the place of an eye, and a hand in the place of a hand, and a foot in the place of a foot, and an image in the place of an image then shall you enter the Kingdom. Taken with regards from the Lectionary of the Ecclesia Gnostica.
From here on out, I think it would be good to include the Collect, Lesson, and Gospel from the lectionary of the Ecclesia Gnostica. In the future, the Aquarian Catholic Spiritual Community will also have our lectionary to use; in the meantime, this will perhaps help us to have reflections and keep us pursing Christ. THE COLLECTO loving God,
look upon Thy children who have answered Thy call! Come to us with Thy mighty aid in our time of need. Cleanse us of all darkness and ignorance, let our tears be turned to jubilation, let Thy most glorious power watch over us until we enter Thy light. Let Thy great brightness come and cause the path to be lit before us, let Thy angels bring to us Thy garments, Thy crowns and Thy garlands; let our way be restful, let the door open before us into the column of glory, let us cross over in the ships of Light and rest for evermore. Amen. THE LESSONThe lesson is taken from the words of the Holy Prophet Mani: The man whose mind is full of light is the one to whom belongs wisdom; as soon as he hears truth he welcomes it to himself; but he whose mind is without light, who is alien to it, does not take it to himself, nor does he listen to it. And every weak soul which has not learned the truth belonging to her is doomed to remain without any rest or happiness. God’s enlightening word is sweet when it finds ears to hear it; it does not lodge in a closed mind, makes not its way into a polluted shrine. Let us therefore examine our shrines, so that in cleanliness they may receive the Light. O gracious Master,
infuse in our hearts the spotless light of Your Divine Wisdom and open the eyes of our mind that we may understand the teachings of Your Gospel. Instill in us also the fear of Your blessed commandments, so that we may lead a spiritual life, both thinking and doing everything to please You. For You, O Christ, our God, are the enlightenment of our souls and bodies; and to You we render glory, together with Your eternal Father, and with Your all holy, life-creating Spirit, now and forever. Amen Our church had a wonderful Ash Wednesday service.
Father Daniel graciously helped with the responses in Mass, and he delivered a talk that related the Lenten season to alchemy- an amazing connection that took our already deep Ash Wednesday to an even deeper level! Today's only the second day, and I wanted some coffee creamer, but due to my own ban on sugar for Lent, guess what I'm not having in my coffee...! The doubled Bible reading is going well; generally, it's two chapters in the Old Testament and two in the New, complete with reading all the surrounding study notes. One word of advice: anything that one gives up for Lent, make sure it's something within your ability to do. Don't do something that's going to harm you or stress you out too much as that's likely to backfire. In Christ, Steve Today, for those who are able to, many will go to have ashes signed onto their forehead.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, and our very first reminder is that we are made of the dust of the Earth and to the dust we shall we return. Our mortality, at least the mortality of the body, is a reality with which we all live. The eventually decline and ending of our vital processes is a solidified, guaranteed fact of life. Ash Wednesday helps us to remember that. Ash Wednesday reminds us that we will eventually transition from this form, from this reality, into another. Whether the eventual form we take after the transition to the next chapter is something we would recognize while still in the body is up for debate. One thing is for sure: hearing the stories from hospice nurses and others who deal with people on the brink of passing on is an incredible comfort. People often begin seeing the next world before they fully transition, and it's almost always peaceful and a matter of seeing relatives who have passed on. I am hopeful, indeed, one day for a peaceful death myself. But death does mean we can't return to this form, to this world, to this moment. We must accept the preciousness of the day, of the moment, and do our best while in this world. In Christ, Steve That's right, guys, gals and non-binary pals! Today's Mardi Gras, translated to "Fat Tuesday!" This is the last time do indulge in all your delicious foods before making your commitment to give up something you enjoy for the 40 days leading up to Easter.
Tomorrow begins Lent with Ash Wednesday. What are you planning on giving up? Are you instead going to add practices? As for me, I'm going to read additional spiritual writings, additional chapters of the Bible, and give up sweets. I pray for everyone to have the necessary fortitude and to understand that this is an offering to God. In Christ, Steve The major world event going on right now (a war in Ukraine from a Russian invasion) might not sound like a topical post for something like the Daily Devotional among Esoteric Catholics...but here we are.
I haven't posted the last several days because there's been too much going on. Too much happening. And instead of beating myself up, instead of aw-pshawing the matter, I'm looking at it from the perspective that I'm in good company. What comes to mind is that in any war, the people who most suffer are, as Jesus says, "the least of these." The commoners, the everyday people who are simply trying to live out their lives the best way they know how. So let us have charity. Let us pray for the common people who want no part in this, who want peace, who want to live their own lives without harming others and without being harmed. May God guide us. May the Queen of Heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary move all to peace in their hearts. In Christ, Steve Lord, we pray for the power to be gentle;
the strength to be forgiving; the patience to be understanding; and the endurance to accept the consequences of holding to what we believe to be right. May we put our trust in the power of good to overcome evil and the power of love to overcome hatred. We pray for the vision to see and the faith to believe in a world emancipated from violence, a new world where fear shall no longer lead men to commit injustice, nor selfishness make them bring suffering to others. Help us to devote our whole life and thought and energy to the task of making peace, praying always for the inspiration and the power to fulfill the destiny for which we and all men were created. God, who is more than we can ever comprehend, help us to seek you, and you alone. Help us to stand before all that we could do and seek what you would do, and do that. Lift from us our need to achieve all that we can be and instead, surrender to what you can be in us. Give us ways to refrain from the busyness that will put us on edge and off center, give us today your peace. -from Xavier University, author unknown
At the Eucharist, offer the eucharistic prayer in this way.
Begin with the chalice: "We give thanks to thee, our Father, for the holy Vine of thy servant David, which thou hast made known to us through thy servant Jesus. "Glory be to thee, world without end ." Then over the broken bread: "We give thanks to thee, our Father, for the life and knowledge thou hast made known to us through thy servant Jesus." "Glory be to thee, world without end ." "As this broken bread, once dispersed over the hills, was brought together and became one loaf, so may thy Church be brought together from the ends of the earth into thy kingdom." "Thine is the glory and the power, through Jesus Christ, for ever and ever." From yesterday's post, we see a quote from the Gospel of Philip that refers to "mysteries." The mysteries in question are what we often term "sacraments" today, and it's a list containing of some of the more recognizable ones, namely Baptism, Chrism (Chrismation, or what Western Christians tend to refer to more commonly as Confirmation), and the Eucharist. (Commentary on Redemption and the Bridal Chamber can be saved for a different post).
I think the important thing here is the explicit mentioning of the Eucharist and Chrism as being part of the sacramental system. At least for some Christian groups, these were obviously established as part of what the tradition was about. Sometimes readings of the canonical Scriptures can really show a lack of emphasis on Eucharistic celebrations; it's easy to prooftext perspectives regarding the Eucharist by pointing to a lack of mentioning it consistently. Yet the celebration obviously existed among other groups, and rightly so. More commentary to come later. In Christ, Steve "The Lord did everything in a mystery,
a baptism and a chrism and a eucharist and a redemption and a bridal chamber." I haven't posted for a few days for a variety of reasons (a lot of things going on), and today's been a rollercoaster of sorts.
It's very bizarre for a day to start out great and then descend into chaos, but it's wonderful when a day starts out more chaotic and collapses into something peaceful and full of wonder. So, I implore you to ride the waves as they come along. I ask you to keep the faith that things will settle down, that you will be able to handle that which comes along. Things change. Reality is dynamic. Our faith (and our knowing!) is what we most hold to. In Christ, Steve What are the things for which you're grateful at the moment? This is always an important question to ask as there are so many things we have to be grateful for that we constantly overlook.
I have a new deck of Tarot cards that I've been working with lately. This is a joy, to go down the mystical road to Christ with the cards and their ancient history. Recently, I've also shifted into a more "creative" phase (I get short bursts of these from time to time) and am enjoying that as well. And our technology...where would we be without it? Some might argue that world would be a better place, but there's so much good that comes through communication. May Christ continue to bless us. In Christ, Steve This is why Jesus appeared: he opened the Book of Gnosis.
He was nailed to a tree, he fastened the testamentary disposition from the Father to the Cross. O such magnanimity, such that he draws himself downward to death while eternal life encloses him. Having divested himself of these perishable rags he clothed himself with the imperishability which none has the power to take from him. From the Aquarian Catholic Spiritual Community to you, may the pure love of the Divine shine down on you this and forevermore.
May the love of Christ blaze within our hearts. May God guide us to the deep, true, and abiding theosis. In Christ, Steve From Wikipedia: "Septuagesima (/ˌsɛptjuəˈdʒɛsɪmə/; in full, Septuagesima Sunday) is the name for the ninth Sunday before Easter, the third before Ash Wednesday. The term is sometimes applied to the seventy days starting on Septuagesima Sunday and ending on the Saturday after Easter. Alternatively, the term is sometimes applied also to the period commonly called Shrovetide or Gesimatide (the Pre-Lenten Season) that begins on this day and ends on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins.
The other two Sundays in this period of the liturgical year are called Sexagesima and Quinquagesima, the latter sometimes also called Shrove Sunday. The earliest date on which Septuagesima Sunday can occur is January 18 (Easter falling on March 22 in a non-leap year) and the latest is February 22 (Easter falling on April 25 in a leap year)." Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her. One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for she will be found sitting at the gate. To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding, and one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care, because she goes about seeking those worthy of her, and she graciously appears to them in their paths, and meets them in every thought. -The Wisdom of Solomon, Chapter 6, Verses 12-16
Simultaneously, I've been reading through the book of Genesis as well in the Jewish Study Bible. One thing is clear: the "genesis" is essentially a reference to all the known world's people in addition to the world itself.
One of the interesting things to see was the lineage of Cain and the lineage of Seth having extremely similar names, both ending with someone named "Lamech." The difference is that in Seth's lineage, Lamech is the father of Noah. There are several possibilities of why the names are similar, and my own perspective is that Cain was probably originally seen as the ancestor of Noah with Seth being a later invention OR a different variation on the story of Adam and Eve's children altogether that was edited into the overall narrative. Cain being Noah's ancestor then means humanity is descended from the first murderer as opposed to a neutral, seemingly righteous person. On the other hand, since Noah's supposed to be the "new Adam" and the reboot of humanity as a whole, I'm not sure why the difference in lineage would be absolutely essential. Things to ponder on! In Christ, Steve Yesterday, I finished reading the Gospel of Luke. The main aspect of Luke that stands out is the Nativity Story, which is not found with the same detail elsewhere.
Overall, I'm not sure what I felt about Luke. Decidedly, much off what was written was perplexing or even downright uninspiring; after finishing the Gospel, I was walking my dog, trying to figure out where I stood on various issues and relative to the Gospel. Without the Gospel situated in a proper context of Tradition and Mysticism, it's almost uninspiring. I thought to myself, "Why in the world would anyone hear this and be so moved by it?" In and of itself, there's something obviously missing. The first missing aspect is this: we just don't hear much of what Jesus is teaching. So, this indicates that things Jesus passed on to the Apostles and the other disciples aren't entirely written down, and it would be safe to say those things were not even mostly written down. So what is the purpose of the Gospel? It's a justification, an argument, a system of rhetoric to support certain teachings attributed to Jesus. It's a way of saying, "These things happened; this is why the teachings we pass on are important." Another purpose of the Gospel is to show us what it's like to be connected to the Higher Self and the Divine, to walk against cultural currents and to try to explain things to people when you're operating on a different level than they are. It is an absolutely grave mistake to try to understand the Gospel outside of a tradition of interpretation. Everything falls apart quickly. Without the mystical context, everything becomes a story of history that doesn't make that much sense. More to come. In Christ, Steve |