July 19, 2016
Annette on Christian Activism
I wanted to add my two cents to both Gary and Glen's remarks about Christianity. This is something I've given a lot of thought to over the years as I've struggled with what seems the lack of spirituality in doing any kind of activist work which seeks to make the world a better place, as opposed to removing myself from it, and just concentrating on my own relationship with God, the world be damned.
Christianity is both here and now, and other worldly. Our souls live on a continuum. It matters what we do here, for this world, and what we do for the furtherance of our soul beyond the here and now! It's a journey. Jesus's very sacrifice was to open the way for us to be united with God even here on Earth, to do God's will, if we so choose. In his life Jesus constantly demonstrated that he did nothing without the will of God. Does anyone really think Jesus wanted to die on the Cross? Surely he could have saved himself if he wanted. But he chose to do God's will and allowed himself to be killed to demonstrate his claims and reconcile us to heaven.
Doing God's will is not so simple or easy as it takes self-purification, and spiritual work to actually know what the will of God is. If one looks at the Lord's Prayer it says, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven". It is plainly saying that we should be looking to do God's will and bring his desires into fruition here on Earth. That does point to Gods' kingdom here on the Earth. However, in the same Lord's Prayer, it also acknowledges that we are only given so much, and we must let our egos go, "Give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us". It finally acknowledges that we are up against a whole hell of a lot here and that we need help from on high, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil".
The lives of any great saints like St Francis, or a Padre Pio who are united with God in love while here on the Earth also demonstrate that though they are here, they are living in a different world, a spiritual world ( the Kingdom) where they see and act according to Gods will, and because they are united in perfect love, they are given the power to do what others who cling to themselves can never do, whether it is healing, or changing the very events that transpire here on Earth. ( see American pilots testimony who saw a monk in the sky waving them away from their bombing target http://www.sanpadrepio.com/Flymonk.htm )
Compare that to the miserable, egotistical Fozdykes who cling to their manipulation and think they will go on forever but succeed only in temporal power, nothing everlasting or immortal.The arrogant Fozdykes running the world have defied God and ultimately they will fall.
