KEEP IT SIMPLE

Saint Joseph of Cupertino

I have come under criticism for being rather simplistic in my online writing. I suppose I could be more sophisticated or entertaining, but I feel that, at times, our appetites for entertainment and soothing words mask a spiritual life that is disintegrating.

If we haven't got the basics under control, which many of us do not, all of the simpering commentary about our deep love for the Lord and the mystical feelings we experience therefrom, are just our own personal propaganda that we use to hide the fact that we are morally corrupt.

Do you lie, cheat and steal without confession and remorse? You can bellow out the words to your favorite hymn at church, cry at the reception of the eucharist, donate all your time to your "ministry", have a vocabulary complete devoid of swear words, and, although the world may cover you with flowers, you may still go to hell.

The Last Judgment

Many people presume upon the forgiveness of the Lord while they are lying, stealing and murdering and do not confess and repent of it. One woman, after I heard her lying to someone on the phone (in order to gain a monetary advantage) told me, "Don't you worry about me, Missy - I am going to heaven!" and "it isn't a lie, it's just a story." Later, she stole from me. Then I saw her stealing the food that was left out at the mailboxes for the food drive for which the postal workers were collecting for the poor. She lied about it later. ("It isn't a lie, it's a story.") It makes me very sad because, without confession and repentance, she will go to Hell, and I do not want anyone to go to Hell. I pray that she confesses and repents so that I may see her in Heaven.

There are also people who put themselves forward as spiritual personalities in order to hide their crimes. I heard of one who killed a wealthy, demented spouse with an overdose, had the body quickly cremated without a doctor seeing it, and collected sympathy cards with a sad air, between giving sappy sermons about the poor man they murdered. While the world rewards them for their spiritual masquerade, God certainly won't. Eternity is a very long time, and their ill-gotten gains won't accompany them after death.

Saint Theresa of Avila, in ecstacy

I love the mystical life. It is thrilling to read stories about the saints who experienced the miraculous, who heard the voice of the Lord and received his embrace in ecstacy. It is popular to focus on this aspect of spiritual life, and it IS a very real manifestation of spirituality, but it isn't what Jesus emphasized.
                                             

Saint Gregory

Jesus told us that he did not come to bring peace, but the sword. He said that our families would be rent apart, with one member against another. He told us that some people, at the end, would call out to Him, "Lord! Lord!" and that He would send them away, telling them that He does not know them. He promised that those who love Him would follow his commandments and would go to heaven.

Icon of the "ladder to heaven"

If you follow the commands of the Lord and live a truly holy life, it will separate you from those who do not follow him. It will make you a target of the evil that lives within the hearts of those who do not really love the Lord. You will suffer on this earth, just as Christ himself suffered. Those who do not obey the commandments of the Lord will lie about you and work against you in every way. They will steal from you and try to punish you for your goodness because evil cannot bear to see the beauty of the Lord that is manifested in one who is following the commandments of Jesus.

We weren't promised financial reward in exchange for a holy life. Some of the modern Protestant denominations promote a scandalous "prosperity gospel" which plays right into the modern love of money. It also encourages prejudice against the poor, which is the opposite of the message of Jesus and his apostles. I have seen it confuse people and pervert their faith. Some mistakenly think that, if they are living a prosperous life, then everything they do must be holy, and that is not the criteria that Jesus gave us.

I write about this topic because I think it is needed. We have plenty of entertaining books and blogs, as well as political writing that pretends to be spiritual but helps to distract us from the basics. I am attempting to direct attention to Jesus and what He said - to the Church and what it teaches - and to the Bible and the guidance it provides, because I have been shocked and saddened to see the large number of people who lie, cheat, steal, and murder while delusionaly believing that they will go to heaven anyway.

Because of love for my neighbor, fellow-feeling and compassion, I would like to see everyone go to Heaven. I am trying to encourage everyone to look to the faith and get their foundation built solidly on the commandments of Jesus that are built on the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament.

In short, stop your lyin' cheatin' and stealin' ya'll!

Silver Rose 

(Sannyasini Kaliprana)

Silver Cottage Ashram Hermitage

Albuquerque, New Mexico

LYING LIPS

Pinocchio from Stantonbury Theatre website

http://www.stantonburytheatre.co.uk/whats-on/all-shows/pinocchio/12240/

Sunday found me waiting, in vain, again, for the U.S. post office to deliver my 2-day Amazon package. I couldn't take a shower or leave the apartment grounds, for fear of missing the shipment. The cupboards were bare, except for some tuna fish and a loaf of bread that a friend had given me earlier in the week, and I was keen to have something else to eat, and to wash my hair with the special shampoo I'd also ordered.

I rely upon Amazon for most of my groceries, cleaning supplies, paper goods and even my clothing! Being mobility challenged requires it.

The package never arrived, and the computer reported that the carrier could not get access to my apartment, which is poppycock, as every unit is open to the street and we don't have gates or buzzers or ANYTHING that could be perceived as an impediment to access.

Once again, the carrier had lied. Even though U.S. Postal Service has the Amazon contract for Sunday deliveries (and the resultant income), they REFUSE to deliver to anyone who lives in an apartment, basically. They're too lazy to find the individual apartment. None of the apartment offices are open on Sunday. The carrier just takes the packages back to the warehouse. THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME because the carriers who they've hired to work on Sundays are not familiar with the route. My customary U.S.P.S. delivery person knows where I am and is completely reliable, but she doesn't work on Sundays.

"Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,

but those who act faithfully are His delight."

~Proverbs 12:22~

The system is set up so that Sunday deliveries simply do not get to me - ever.

One could well ask why don't I just avoid Sunday deliveries, and it's a fair question, except that I get paid once a month and, by the time the 4th week rolls around, the cupboards are empty, likewise the refrigerator is bare, and I am sorely needing many items. I don't have enough income to keep a large stock of anything on hand. As soon as the check hits the bank, I am ordering food and other necessaries. This month, payday was on Friday.

I have reported this problem to my state representative, Michelle Lujan Grisham. Her office is very good about stepping in to help me, as much as they are able. Each time this happens, the Post Office officials say that they will instruct their people, and that it won't happen again, but I strongly suspect that they're laughing at me while they say this because the situation has not changed.

I will literally have to make a federal case out of this and SUE them to get them to do what they are contractually obligated to do. All these years that they have been refusing to provide services, they have been collecting money from Amazon.

Aside from the difficulties that arise with the groceries, I worry about people who lie their way through life. The Lord hates lying lips, Satan is the father of all lies, and I feel bad that so many seem bound for Hell.

Painting of Hell by Heironymous Bosch

"Do not lie to one another,

seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices."

~Colossians 3:9~

I am tired of suffering at the hands of liars. This whole episode makes me rerun in my mind the many times I have been damaged by the lies of other people - people one would never suspect of lying so boldly and outrageously.

Nuns, ministers, priests, government officials, relatives, co-workers and bosses have ALL lied to me and/or about me, usually for filthy lucre, but sometimes to protect themselves from a crime being revealed to the public. 

BURNING IN HELL

by Anthony Renardo Flake

"If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue

but deceives his heart,

this person's religion is worthless."

~James 1:26~

I was once even fired by an attorney, for whom I worked as a litigation secretary, because I refused to lie on a document swearing that I had mailed it several days previously. Then he tried to cheat me out of my accrued vacation pay, and I had to go to the Department of Labor Standards Enforcement to get it.

Now we have a president who lies constantly, and does so in a way that is EASILY found out! He says things on camera one day and contradicts them shortly thereafter. People who are trying to work with him say that it is like talking to Jello.

From the top of the food chain to the bottom, in every walk of life, human beings are lying their way through life. I can't imagine how disappointed our dear Lord must be. I pray for them all the time, and I hope that you will also - provided that you yourself are not one of these serial liars, in which case you need to pray for yourself and change your ways. Don't think that lies don't matter! Satan will welcome you in Hell if you use his methods to get your needs met in this world.

"No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house,

no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes."

~Psalm 101:7~

Satan devouring souls of the damned in Hell

by Fra Angelico