The Rite-The Making of a Modern Exorcist
by Matt Baglio
Review by Father Aidan J. Hix, O.S.C.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
C.S. Lewis once said "There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them." When I was a teenager, my friend Arlon and I would read books on the Occult, demons and Possession by several supposed Christian authors such as Nicky Cruz’s book, “Satan on the Loose.” I felt both excited and terrified by the prospect of ever encountering such a phenomena as a demon or a demon possessed person.
In fact, even now, as an ordained priest, the idea seems a bit eerie! I’ve often joked around about such a prospect by saying if I was ever called upon to do an exorcism that I would call for a fleet of Fire trucks and bless each one as a container of Holy Water; then would proceed to man the water gun turret and lead the charge with all hoses on full force!
But the truth is that the problem of evil is not a laughing matter; and Matt Baglio did a wonderful job of introducing the world to darker side of faith and the battle between good and evil. He told the story of Father Gary Thomas’ journey of becoming an exorcist; and the testimonies of many who claimed to have been possessed by an outside entity and the story of their liberation, often a gradual process over a period of years.
The book provides a wide overview of the multifaceted issues concerning Demon Possession and Exorcism. He touches briefly on the historical and Biblical development of the idea of the “Devil”, Angelology, Demonology, as well as other Theological concerns; including the development and use of the Roman Catholic Ritual of Exorcism. All of which decry the sensationalist portrayals of Hollywood.
However, he does not focus only on the question of personified evil and possession from a religious, albeit Catholic perspective; but commits an entire section of the book to discuss how modern research from the scientific and medical community accounts for “anomalous healing.” This covers such exciting concepts as:
• healing vs curing
• voodoo possession as a kind of psychotherapy or Folk Therapy
• advances in neuroscience
• benefits of an exorcism in treating people with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
• Reattributing techniques
• Placebo effects
• therapeutic rituals
• Expectancy
• Motivational Concordance
• Self-actualization
• Prayer as a therapeutic ritual
• Quantum Entanglement & healing from a distance
• The Spiritual Brain and Mystical Experiences
• Differentiating the source from psychosis to possession
Matt Baglio’s book goes along way in debunking the sensational misunderstanding of the Catholic practice of exorcism. Most exorcisms are quite mundane with very little physical manifestation, though some can be quite violent. Although there are still stories of abuse and deaths of victims of possible possessions due to medieval like practices, the practice in the American catholic church is that a candidate for exorcism must have a complete physical and psychological/psychiatric evaluation and the permission of a bishop prior to an exorcism ever being done.
Interestingly, a major part of the ongoing process of deliverance ministry is assisting the afflicted person being “proactive” in their own recovery by a return to the spiritual disciplines of going to church, prayer, the Sacraments (especially Confession and Holy Communion) and putting their faith in God. It reminds us that this is a ministry to people who are hurting and afflicted; and not merely engaging in the sensational or paranormal.
I believe Matt Baglio’s book, The Rite, is one of the best books I’ve ever read on this aspect of Pastoral Ministry; and should be part of every pastor’s arsenal. It certainly touched me deeply and dispelled many of my fears and concerns; and reminded me of the power of faith and the hope we have in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Demonic Oppression, Deliverance, Liberation and Spiritual Transformation
Demonic Oppression, Deliverance, Liberation and Spiritual Transformation
A Summary of my Sermon
By Fr. Aidan Hix, O.S.C.
St. David’s Anglican Church
Fairfax, CA
Sunday, 2-13-2011
6th Sunday after Epiphany
Lessons:
Ecclesiacticus 15.11-20;
Ps. 119.1-16 or 9-16; 1 Cor. 3.1-9;
Matt 5. 21-37
SETTING THE STAGE
In light of the new movie, “The Rite” starring Anthony Hopkins, (based on the book “The Rite- The Making of a Modern Exorcist” by Matt Baglio), portraying the subject of personified evil and demon possession, I was rather surprised to discover such a connection with The Lord’s Sermon on The Mount. The Sermon on the Mount, especially the beginning passages know as the Beatitudes, are even lauded as beautiful prose and wisdom sayings by people of many different faiths.
However, as I simply sat with this Sermon during my times of meditation over the past few weeks, I started re-reading the context by going back to the passages of scripture just prior to Jesus sitting down on the hill and beginning to teach. Beginning with Matthew 4.12-5.3, the story reads as follows:
“12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali-- 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: 15 "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- 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." 17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." 18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. 23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. 5:1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying…”
It was in the context of Christ’s ministry of Teaching on the Kingdom of God, Healing the afflicted and Delivering people from the bondage of Demon Possession, that He sat down and began to teach them High Principles of Spiritual Liberation and Transformation. In the Gospel of Luke 4.15-21, Christ specifically identifies himself with this ministry:
15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them,"Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
All we have to do to awaken to the reality of Evil, is to watch a movie like The Rite or watch the evening News. History is full of personified evil. Think of Nero, Diocletian, Hitler.
We seem to have a better grasp of the heaviness of evil than we do the power of Christ’s message of Spiritual Liberation and Transformation; and that is what the Sermon on the Mount is all about! What Christ was pointing to was not mere moral platitudes but experiencing the life changing experience of the Spirit, an Inner Renewal and Awakening, a call to the restoration of the pre-lapsarian state of Man. As Paul puts it, ““Thus it is written, The first man, Adam, became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”-1 Corinthians 15:45; and in Romans 5:12-21:
“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned — sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come.
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin. For the judgement following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. If, because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. But law came in, with the result that the trespass multiplied; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, just as sin exercised dominion in death, so grace might also exercise dominion through justification* leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.“
Below are just a few of the headlines and outline of my sermon from Sunday.
I. There are several different dimensions of Impartation & Revelation in Christ’s Teaching, from the moral requirements of the Law to Hidden shades of meaning He imparts only to His Disciple’s.
A. He reminds them to follow the tenets and morals of the Law.
• 17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
• You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times…
B. He taught in Parables to the Crowds; but He instructed his Disciples in the Secrets of the Spiritual Life
• “Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables”; or
• “With many such parables spake He the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parable spake He not unto them; and when they were alone He expounded all things to His disciples”
• [please note the emphasis on "when they were alone" or "them that are without."]);
• Jesus tells His apostles: “I have yet many things to say to you, but ye cannot bear them now;”
C. These dimensions of revelation and impartation of the Mysteries of the Faith are mentioned by St. Paul.
• “I came to you bearing the divine testimony, not alluring you with human wisdom but with the power of the Spirit. Truly ‘we speak wisdom among them that are perfect,’ but it is no human wisdom. ‘We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world’ began, and which none even of the princes of this world know. The things of that wisdom are beyond men’s thinking, ‘but God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit … the deep things of God,’ ‘which the Holy Ghost teacheth.’ These are spiritual things, to be discerned only by the spiritual man, in whom is the mind of Christ. ‘And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ…. Ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal.’
• Carnal Man (of the body/flesh)- one governed by the urges & aversions of the body
• Natural Man (of the soul/psychikos)-natural human qualities- governed by emotions & intellect
• Spiritual Man (pneumatikos)- one governed and transformed by the Holy Spirit (the Saints).
D. These dimensions of revelation and impartation of the Mysteries of the Faith are mentioned by the Early Church Fathers.
• St Clement of Alexandria. One quote from Clement in his Stromata, says,
“”The Lord … allowed us to communicate of those divine Mysteries, and of that holy light, to those who are able to receive them. He did not certainly disclose to the many what did not belong to the many; but to the few to whom He knew that they belonged, who were capable of receiving and being moulded according to them. But secret things are entrusted to speech, not to writing, as is the case with God. And if one say that it is written, ‘There is nothing secret which shall not be revealed, nor hidden which shall not be disclosed,’ let him also hear from us, that to him who hears secretly, even what is secret shall be manifested. This is what was predicted by this oracle. And to him who is able secretly to observe what is delivered to him, that which is veiled shall be disclosed as truth; and what is hidden to the many shall appear manifest to the few…. The Mysteries are delivered mystically, that what is spoken may be in the mouth of the speaker; rather not in his voice, but in his understanding…. The writing of these memoranda of mine, I well know, is weak when compared with that spirit, full of grace, which I was privileged to hear. But it will be an image to recall the archetype to him who was struck with the Thyrsus.”
II. So, What’s the Point?
A. The Law teaches us the basic principles, values and morals of the Faith (summed up in the 10 Commandments):
B. The Prophets teach us about the Inner or higher spirit of the Law
C. Christ reveals the highest dimensions of the Law & principles of transformation.
• 17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them….
• 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
• Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times….
• But I say to you…..
Matthew 5:21-24,27-30,33-37
Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, `You shall not murder'; and `whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, `You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.
"You have heard that it was said, `You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.
"Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, `You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.' But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be `Yes, Yes' or `No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one.
D. Some of the higher principles:
• He requires us to put aside Anger
• To take the initiative in Reconciliation
• Make Friends with your accuser
• He requires us to have control not only over outer things of the Law but over the Inner workings of the heart, like Lust and Sexual Desire
• To take extreme actions (removing the offending member)-Spiritual Disciplines & Following a spiritual practice and awareness of Divine Presence
III. How?
• It requires a change of Consciousness
• The Kingdom is near (at hand)
• The Kingdom is within Us
• He came to mirror for us who we really are in God.
We need to awaken to the reality of the spiritual life and transformation Christ calls us to. He did not come to merely Redeemer/Savior (because of this doctrine we tend to put off until the hope of heaven in the hereafter our personal responsibility of living a trasnformed life in the here and now) but he also came as Life Giver- to give us life now and to mirror for us who we are as the Imagio Dei (Image of God).
A Mystical Awakening, A Spiritual Indwelling, A Transformed Being, A Spiritual Community.
CONCLUSION.
(T.S. Eliot, The Little Giddings, 4th Quartet)
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning;
At the source of the longest river
The voice of the hidden waterfall
And the children in the apple-tree
Not known, because not looked for
But heard, half-heard, in the stillness
Between two waves of the sea.
Quick now, here, now, always—
A condition of complete simplicity
(Costing not less than everything)
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
When the tongues of flame are in-folded
Into the crowned knot of fire
And the fire and the rose are one.
A Summary of my Sermon
By Fr. Aidan Hix, O.S.C.
St. David’s Anglican Church
Fairfax, CA
Sunday, 2-13-2011
6th Sunday after Epiphany
Lessons:
Ecclesiacticus 15.11-20;
Ps. 119.1-16 or 9-16; 1 Cor. 3.1-9;
Matt 5. 21-37
SETTING THE STAGE
In light of the new movie, “The Rite” starring Anthony Hopkins, (based on the book “The Rite- The Making of a Modern Exorcist” by Matt Baglio), portraying the subject of personified evil and demon possession, I was rather surprised to discover such a connection with The Lord’s Sermon on The Mount. The Sermon on the Mount, especially the beginning passages know as the Beatitudes, are even lauded as beautiful prose and wisdom sayings by people of many different faiths.
However, as I simply sat with this Sermon during my times of meditation over the past few weeks, I started re-reading the context by going back to the passages of scripture just prior to Jesus sitting down on the hill and beginning to teach. Beginning with Matthew 4.12-5.3, the story reads as follows:
“12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali-- 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: 15 "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- 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." 17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." 18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. 23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. 5:1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying…”
It was in the context of Christ’s ministry of Teaching on the Kingdom of God, Healing the afflicted and Delivering people from the bondage of Demon Possession, that He sat down and began to teach them High Principles of Spiritual Liberation and Transformation. In the Gospel of Luke 4.15-21, Christ specifically identifies himself with this ministry:
15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them,"Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
All we have to do to awaken to the reality of Evil, is to watch a movie like The Rite or watch the evening News. History is full of personified evil. Think of Nero, Diocletian, Hitler.
We seem to have a better grasp of the heaviness of evil than we do the power of Christ’s message of Spiritual Liberation and Transformation; and that is what the Sermon on the Mount is all about! What Christ was pointing to was not mere moral platitudes but experiencing the life changing experience of the Spirit, an Inner Renewal and Awakening, a call to the restoration of the pre-lapsarian state of Man. As Paul puts it, ““Thus it is written, The first man, Adam, became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”-1 Corinthians 15:45; and in Romans 5:12-21:
“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned — sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come.
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin. For the judgement following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. If, because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. But law came in, with the result that the trespass multiplied; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, just as sin exercised dominion in death, so grace might also exercise dominion through justification* leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.“
Below are just a few of the headlines and outline of my sermon from Sunday.
I. There are several different dimensions of Impartation & Revelation in Christ’s Teaching, from the moral requirements of the Law to Hidden shades of meaning He imparts only to His Disciple’s.
A. He reminds them to follow the tenets and morals of the Law.
• 17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
• You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times…
B. He taught in Parables to the Crowds; but He instructed his Disciples in the Secrets of the Spiritual Life
• “Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables”; or
• “With many such parables spake He the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parable spake He not unto them; and when they were alone He expounded all things to His disciples”
• [please note the emphasis on "when they were alone" or "them that are without."]);
• Jesus tells His apostles: “I have yet many things to say to you, but ye cannot bear them now;”
C. These dimensions of revelation and impartation of the Mysteries of the Faith are mentioned by St. Paul.
• “I came to you bearing the divine testimony, not alluring you with human wisdom but with the power of the Spirit. Truly ‘we speak wisdom among them that are perfect,’ but it is no human wisdom. ‘We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world’ began, and which none even of the princes of this world know. The things of that wisdom are beyond men’s thinking, ‘but God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit … the deep things of God,’ ‘which the Holy Ghost teacheth.’ These are spiritual things, to be discerned only by the spiritual man, in whom is the mind of Christ. ‘And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ…. Ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal.’
• Carnal Man (of the body/flesh)- one governed by the urges & aversions of the body
• Natural Man (of the soul/psychikos)-natural human qualities- governed by emotions & intellect
• Spiritual Man (pneumatikos)- one governed and transformed by the Holy Spirit (the Saints).
D. These dimensions of revelation and impartation of the Mysteries of the Faith are mentioned by the Early Church Fathers.
• St Clement of Alexandria. One quote from Clement in his Stromata, says,
“”The Lord … allowed us to communicate of those divine Mysteries, and of that holy light, to those who are able to receive them. He did not certainly disclose to the many what did not belong to the many; but to the few to whom He knew that they belonged, who were capable of receiving and being moulded according to them. But secret things are entrusted to speech, not to writing, as is the case with God. And if one say that it is written, ‘There is nothing secret which shall not be revealed, nor hidden which shall not be disclosed,’ let him also hear from us, that to him who hears secretly, even what is secret shall be manifested. This is what was predicted by this oracle. And to him who is able secretly to observe what is delivered to him, that which is veiled shall be disclosed as truth; and what is hidden to the many shall appear manifest to the few…. The Mysteries are delivered mystically, that what is spoken may be in the mouth of the speaker; rather not in his voice, but in his understanding…. The writing of these memoranda of mine, I well know, is weak when compared with that spirit, full of grace, which I was privileged to hear. But it will be an image to recall the archetype to him who was struck with the Thyrsus.”
II. So, What’s the Point?
A. The Law teaches us the basic principles, values and morals of the Faith (summed up in the 10 Commandments):
B. The Prophets teach us about the Inner or higher spirit of the Law
C. Christ reveals the highest dimensions of the Law & principles of transformation.
• 17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them….
• 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
• Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times….
• But I say to you…..
Matthew 5:21-24,27-30,33-37
Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, `You shall not murder'; and `whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, `You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.
"You have heard that it was said, `You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.
"Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, `You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.' But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be `Yes, Yes' or `No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one.
D. Some of the higher principles:
• He requires us to put aside Anger
• To take the initiative in Reconciliation
• Make Friends with your accuser
• He requires us to have control not only over outer things of the Law but over the Inner workings of the heart, like Lust and Sexual Desire
• To take extreme actions (removing the offending member)-Spiritual Disciplines & Following a spiritual practice and awareness of Divine Presence
III. How?
• It requires a change of Consciousness
• The Kingdom is near (at hand)
• The Kingdom is within Us
• He came to mirror for us who we really are in God.
We need to awaken to the reality of the spiritual life and transformation Christ calls us to. He did not come to merely Redeemer/Savior (because of this doctrine we tend to put off until the hope of heaven in the hereafter our personal responsibility of living a trasnformed life in the here and now) but he also came as Life Giver- to give us life now and to mirror for us who we are as the Imagio Dei (Image of God).
A Mystical Awakening, A Spiritual Indwelling, A Transformed Being, A Spiritual Community.
CONCLUSION.
(T.S. Eliot, The Little Giddings, 4th Quartet)
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning;
At the source of the longest river
The voice of the hidden waterfall
And the children in the apple-tree
Not known, because not looked for
But heard, half-heard, in the stillness
Between two waves of the sea.
Quick now, here, now, always—
A condition of complete simplicity
(Costing not less than everything)
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
When the tongues of flame are in-folded
Into the crowned knot of fire
And the fire and the rose are one.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Opening the Box and setting the Spirit Free
Wow. I am an avid reader but have rarely come across an author that has condensed so much into so little. Every sentence is filled with energy and resonates from the page. Its hard to keep up with and more difficult to respond too. But thanks to Cecile for unpacking and restating!
Going back a day or so in the readings, Panikkar says, " Christophany does not pretend to offer a universal paradigm..." but "does off an image of Christ that all people are capable of believing in..." and that "the meeting with Christ is irreducible to a simple doctrinal or intellectual approach."
I am experiencing in Panikkar a continual softening of those area of my life where I was conditioned to hold things more rigidly or pressed down into a little box. Panikkar opens the box and lays it flat allowing greater movement, phania (manifestation) and experience of the very ingredients formerly contained in the little box but now is open to the movement of the Spirit, creating a greater "mystical vision" and at least cracking the third eye to open, even if just slightly! lol.
Beannachdan (Blessings),
Going back a day or so in the readings, Panikkar says, " Christophany does not pretend to offer a universal paradigm..." but "does off an image of Christ that all people are capable of believing in..." and that "the meeting with Christ is irreducible to a simple doctrinal or intellectual approach."
I am experiencing in Panikkar a continual softening of those area of my life where I was conditioned to hold things more rigidly or pressed down into a little box. Panikkar opens the box and lays it flat allowing greater movement, phania (manifestation) and experience of the very ingredients formerly contained in the little box but now is open to the movement of the Spirit, creating a greater "mystical vision" and at least cracking the third eye to open, even if just slightly! lol.
Beannachdan (Blessings),
The Invitation (Oriah Mountain Dreamer)-by Oriah
"The Invitation
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, 'Yes.'
It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments."
Poem by Oriah
http://www.oriahmountaindreamer.com/
http://www.davidpbrown.co.uk/poetry/oriah-mountain-dreamer.html
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, 'Yes.'
It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments."
Poem by Oriah
http://www.oriahmountaindreamer.com/
http://www.davidpbrown.co.uk/poetry/oriah-mountain-dreamer.html
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The Darkness Cometh- a poem of spiritual warfare
A cowled priest looks through the fire
Beyond this realm of mortal eyes
Where mystery, light and darkness are
Dragons devour the innocent and weak, and
Angels fly over damned souls.
Put on the Hauberk and wield the sword!
Raise the sails, forward to battle.
The Darkness cometh.
The Day has not yet dawned.
-poem by Fr Aidan
Beyond this realm of mortal eyes
Where mystery, light and darkness are
Dragons devour the innocent and weak, and
Angels fly over damned souls.
Put on the Hauberk and wield the sword!
Raise the sails, forward to battle.
The Darkness cometh.
The Day has not yet dawned.
-poem by Fr Aidan
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
A Spiritual Journey of Disillusionment and Re-Enchantment-My Review on Mark Townsend's book, "The Path of The Blue Raven-From Religion to Re-Echantment"
A Spiritual Journey of Disillusionment and Re-Enchantment-My Review on Rev. Mark Townsend's book, "The Path of The Blue Raven-From Religion to Re-Echantment"
February 9, 2011
By The Rev. Fr. Jerry "Aidan" L. Hix Jr.
I was introduced to Mark by a mutual friend a few months ago; and in addition to reading his book (The Path of the Blue Raven), he has also been kind enough to correspond with me about his journey. As a priest in the Anglican tradition, who has also experienced some of the disillusionment with ministry and the down side of institutional religion and bureaucracy, I found in Mark, a Comrade in Arms; and the knowledge I was not alone in my own journey.
Although I tend to remain rooted in the more traditional expressions of the Christian faith and the working out my own struggles with disillusionment within the context of the institutional Church and do not always agree with Mark's perspectives or conclusions, I can relate, sympathize and empathize with the process of his Spiritual Journey of Disillusionment to Re-Enchantment .
I also am extremely encouraged by his honesty, sometimes brutal honesty about himself, his shortcomings and failures; and his openness and "heartfulness" to dialogue and share the journey as friends and brothers, even though we might strongly disagree at times with each others views. That speaks volumes to me about his character and his gift of "presence" as a priest and fellow pilgrim on the journey.
All of which makes this book such a wonderful expression of the Spiritual Journey, as told not only by Mark but by others from different religious and/or spiritual traditions! It not only introduced me to many of the earth based spiritualities I had been ignorant of but also reawakened in me the "earthiness" of Jesus and the earlier Christian faith of my own spiritual tradition.
I believe its especially important in Today's world where the meeting of the world's religions and cultures are drawing closer and closer together, that we learn about each other and how we can both respect our common ground, as well as respecting the differences. Mark's book was a wonderful tribute to the encounter of different spiritualities and how we can reinvest ourselves in lives filled with wonder and enchantment!
Thanks and Blessings to you Mark, respectfully,
Father Jerry "Aidan" Hix, O.S.C.
[Review also on Mark Townsend's Amazon Profile]
February 9, 2011
By The Rev. Fr. Jerry "Aidan" L. Hix Jr.
I was introduced to Mark by a mutual friend a few months ago; and in addition to reading his book (The Path of the Blue Raven), he has also been kind enough to correspond with me about his journey. As a priest in the Anglican tradition, who has also experienced some of the disillusionment with ministry and the down side of institutional religion and bureaucracy, I found in Mark, a Comrade in Arms; and the knowledge I was not alone in my own journey.
Although I tend to remain rooted in the more traditional expressions of the Christian faith and the working out my own struggles with disillusionment within the context of the institutional Church and do not always agree with Mark's perspectives or conclusions, I can relate, sympathize and empathize with the process of his Spiritual Journey of Disillusionment to Re-Enchantment .
I also am extremely encouraged by his honesty, sometimes brutal honesty about himself, his shortcomings and failures; and his openness and "heartfulness" to dialogue and share the journey as friends and brothers, even though we might strongly disagree at times with each others views. That speaks volumes to me about his character and his gift of "presence" as a priest and fellow pilgrim on the journey.
All of which makes this book such a wonderful expression of the Spiritual Journey, as told not only by Mark but by others from different religious and/or spiritual traditions! It not only introduced me to many of the earth based spiritualities I had been ignorant of but also reawakened in me the "earthiness" of Jesus and the earlier Christian faith of my own spiritual tradition.
I believe its especially important in Today's world where the meeting of the world's religions and cultures are drawing closer and closer together, that we learn about each other and how we can both respect our common ground, as well as respecting the differences. Mark's book was a wonderful tribute to the encounter of different spiritualities and how we can reinvest ourselves in lives filled with wonder and enchantment!
Thanks and Blessings to you Mark, respectfully,
Father Jerry "Aidan" Hix, O.S.C.
[Review also on Mark Townsend's Amazon Profile]
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Recent Poems by Fr Aidan
The Grey in my Beard
by Jerry Aidan Hix on Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 5:09am
My beard is mostly grey now
My back stiff against the winds of time
Injuries take longer to heal
As years pass by like days
Our children are almost grown
Our once energetic Jack Russell
spends most of his days sleeping
waiting for the boys to come home from school
But what silence waits to break the heart
when school days are gone
and the boys only return for family visits?
There is a growing ache inside of me
Did I spend too much time chasing tomorrows dreams
to recognize the joy that was before me?
No more, pick me up Daddy or take me to the park
They seem to need me less and less now
Why does it take so long to realize what we had
when its too late to enjoy what we have?
Only memories swing on the playground at the park
Like ghosts whispering in the cold winter chill.
My beard has turned to grey, and
The years pass by quickly like the sunset of another day.
-Fr Aidan Hix, 2-03-2011
Squeezing of the Grape
by Jerry Aidan Hix on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 3:29am
I enjoyed a glass of Port wine tonight
As it burned my raw throat
the day after bowing before the porcelain bowl
But I was comforted by the sting and the potent draught
I drank deeply from the glass again, and slept.
My heart feels restless
We are restless til we rest in Thee!
Perhaps, but my sail has not billowed
in that wind for awhile
I am a hollow reed waiting to be played
What breath shall make music of my soul?
Perhaps I am off key, ruined, only to be discarded.
Rumi speaks of the Reed Flute's Cry!
When its cut off from the reed bed.
I am cut off and wait for my fulfillment.
My Return.
Let the divine wind blow through me!
Clear away the mire and the dross!
Bore away another hole if necessary
But play at least one mournful song
before casting my reed into the fire.
The grape was crushed and squeezed
before it ever filled my glass.
I enjoy the sweet raw fruit
and the juice that wets my parched lips
But the fermented wine sets my heart on fire
and lulls me into a gentle sleep.
-Fr Aidan Hix, February 2, 2011
The Lord of the Storm-
by Jerry Aidan Hix on Saturday, December 11, 2010 at 4:09am
The Lord of the Storm
Like a ship set free of her moorings and berth
To sail the high seas through the calm and tempest
The River of Life and the dark Womb of Creation releases us
A spark in mortal flesh, we slip forth on our way
Oft’ times the seas are calm, all is sublime
The Day Star shines its radiant head, golden mane burning
Sails raised high upon the mast, billowing in the wind
Our vessel cuts through the salty brine, churning up foam, toward the far horizon.
Whence cometh the storm tossed sea, with its tempest and gales?
Dark clouds and thunder, the booming of drums in the deep
Relentless waves pound against us, to weaken, wreck and ruin!
Our Bark creaks and groans under the crush and heavy strain, something breaks
White knuckled, clutching the solid mast, we ride against the wind.
The ship breaks upon the craggy shoreline, impaled on jutting rocks
Thrown into the churning sea, the surge overwhelming
Rising waves lift us up like an offering to angry gods
Then plunge us down into the dark maw, to swallow us whole
Prayers offered up to God, seem only to blow back hard upon our upturned faces
Look up, now, Our Captain comes riding his watery chariot, on the crest of stormy seas
Eyes ablaze, torches in the dark and the deep, the mane of his hoary head blows
Wildly in the wind and cold salty spray
Reach, take his hand, and climb up in the storm torn chariot!
All is now calm and tranquil, here, in the Eye of the Storm,
Where the Lord of the Storm dwells.
{A Poem by Fr Jerry “Aidan” Hix, inspired by a dear and precious friend and my adorable cousin Deanna
Down by the Riverside-A Prayer for my Uncle Troy
by Jerry Aidan Hix on Friday, December 10, 2010 at 11:07am
Down by the Riverside
Where I played as a boy
The river rushes past me
In its wake, both sadness and joy
I watch the gulls fly ore the foam
Memories floating upon the water
I'd gone fishing in a boat with my Uncle
and the ghost of my dead Father
My flute plays a mournful song
As I sit alone upon the harsh rocks
Where water breaks as the tide comes in
I sit alone like the old abandoned dock
My Uncle is sleeping now
We pray for Him to Awake!
Please rise and take me fishing, Uncle!
Do not step off the dock into the cruel wake.
Down by the Riverside
Where I played as a boy
Let the waves wash over me
I want to fish even one more time
With my Dear Uncle Troy!
Grant me this prayer, this request dear Lord
Let me fish again, with my second father,
My dear Uncle Troy
Arise and Awake!
That is my prayer. Amen
What Name Defines Me?
by Jerry Aidan Hix on Saturday, November 20, 2010 at 3:06am
What Name Defines Me? and the Power of Namecraft
At birth my parents Named my Jerry
What does it mean to Name someone? something?
Once it was the power craft of priest or shaman
To create you into family, tribe or clan
Now it is often rendered without ritual and empty
As you grew a spiritual name or totem was bestowed
I was given two.
Jerry
It was my fathers name
But no one living remembers why
and I was never told.
I gave it to my son in honor of my father, my hero
The name flows from many places
Meaning Ruling Spear, Sacred Name, May God Exalt
Aodhan.
When I was made a Priest, I was given the name Aidan
Little Flame
Light of Christ
Light Bearer
But my heart is more inclined to darkness, divine darkness,
The Darkness of God
My little flame casts shadows all around
Jyoti Das.
Lover of the Light of God!
But where his light burns in darkness
In Clouds of Unknowing
Along the Path of Unmaking
Many Names of Affection
Husband,darling, dear,
Father, daddy, papa
Son, brother, uncle and Friend
Recently a friend said to me
I think I'll call you Seinfeld,
You are entertaining in the same kind of way!
I am all of these and more
Yet none of these and less
Light drives back the womb of darkness
But silhouettes dance on the wall
Ouroborus! The Serpent bites his tail.
From darkness to light, birth and knowledge
From Light back to darkness, death, abandonment
Then comes Resurrection! Life and Enlightenment!
What Name Defines Me?
...I Am.
But The I Am Summons me.
Seek Me in thyself as your deepest Thou
Seek Me in thyself as thy Thou
Seek Me in thyself as your I.
Until I Am, i shall seek for Thee.
A lover and bearer of The Divine Light
On a shadowed path with only a Lamp unto my feet
Where with Moses and other Hoary Headed Wanderers
I ascend the Mountain into the Dark Clouds of God
In the Face of the Son we behold darkness and
I shall be known as I Am known.
-A poem? or random thought inspired by one who called me Seinfeld,
by Fr. Aidan Hix+
11-20-2010
by Jerry Aidan Hix on Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 5:09am
My beard is mostly grey now
My back stiff against the winds of time
Injuries take longer to heal
As years pass by like days
Our children are almost grown
Our once energetic Jack Russell
spends most of his days sleeping
waiting for the boys to come home from school
But what silence waits to break the heart
when school days are gone
and the boys only return for family visits?
There is a growing ache inside of me
Did I spend too much time chasing tomorrows dreams
to recognize the joy that was before me?
No more, pick me up Daddy or take me to the park
They seem to need me less and less now
Why does it take so long to realize what we had
when its too late to enjoy what we have?
Only memories swing on the playground at the park
Like ghosts whispering in the cold winter chill.
My beard has turned to grey, and
The years pass by quickly like the sunset of another day.
-Fr Aidan Hix, 2-03-2011
Squeezing of the Grape
by Jerry Aidan Hix on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 3:29am
I enjoyed a glass of Port wine tonight
As it burned my raw throat
the day after bowing before the porcelain bowl
But I was comforted by the sting and the potent draught
I drank deeply from the glass again, and slept.
My heart feels restless
We are restless til we rest in Thee!
Perhaps, but my sail has not billowed
in that wind for awhile
I am a hollow reed waiting to be played
What breath shall make music of my soul?
Perhaps I am off key, ruined, only to be discarded.
Rumi speaks of the Reed Flute's Cry!
When its cut off from the reed bed.
I am cut off and wait for my fulfillment.
My Return.
Let the divine wind blow through me!
Clear away the mire and the dross!
Bore away another hole if necessary
But play at least one mournful song
before casting my reed into the fire.
The grape was crushed and squeezed
before it ever filled my glass.
I enjoy the sweet raw fruit
and the juice that wets my parched lips
But the fermented wine sets my heart on fire
and lulls me into a gentle sleep.
-Fr Aidan Hix, February 2, 2011
The Lord of the Storm-
by Jerry Aidan Hix on Saturday, December 11, 2010 at 4:09am
The Lord of the Storm
Like a ship set free of her moorings and berth
To sail the high seas through the calm and tempest
The River of Life and the dark Womb of Creation releases us
A spark in mortal flesh, we slip forth on our way
Oft’ times the seas are calm, all is sublime
The Day Star shines its radiant head, golden mane burning
Sails raised high upon the mast, billowing in the wind
Our vessel cuts through the salty brine, churning up foam, toward the far horizon.
Whence cometh the storm tossed sea, with its tempest and gales?
Dark clouds and thunder, the booming of drums in the deep
Relentless waves pound against us, to weaken, wreck and ruin!
Our Bark creaks and groans under the crush and heavy strain, something breaks
White knuckled, clutching the solid mast, we ride against the wind.
The ship breaks upon the craggy shoreline, impaled on jutting rocks
Thrown into the churning sea, the surge overwhelming
Rising waves lift us up like an offering to angry gods
Then plunge us down into the dark maw, to swallow us whole
Prayers offered up to God, seem only to blow back hard upon our upturned faces
Look up, now, Our Captain comes riding his watery chariot, on the crest of stormy seas
Eyes ablaze, torches in the dark and the deep, the mane of his hoary head blows
Wildly in the wind and cold salty spray
Reach, take his hand, and climb up in the storm torn chariot!
All is now calm and tranquil, here, in the Eye of the Storm,
Where the Lord of the Storm dwells.
{A Poem by Fr Jerry “Aidan” Hix, inspired by a dear and precious friend and my adorable cousin Deanna
Down by the Riverside-A Prayer for my Uncle Troy
by Jerry Aidan Hix on Friday, December 10, 2010 at 11:07am
Down by the Riverside
Where I played as a boy
The river rushes past me
In its wake, both sadness and joy
I watch the gulls fly ore the foam
Memories floating upon the water
I'd gone fishing in a boat with my Uncle
and the ghost of my dead Father
My flute plays a mournful song
As I sit alone upon the harsh rocks
Where water breaks as the tide comes in
I sit alone like the old abandoned dock
My Uncle is sleeping now
We pray for Him to Awake!
Please rise and take me fishing, Uncle!
Do not step off the dock into the cruel wake.
Down by the Riverside
Where I played as a boy
Let the waves wash over me
I want to fish even one more time
With my Dear Uncle Troy!
Grant me this prayer, this request dear Lord
Let me fish again, with my second father,
My dear Uncle Troy
Arise and Awake!
That is my prayer. Amen
What Name Defines Me?
by Jerry Aidan Hix on Saturday, November 20, 2010 at 3:06am
What Name Defines Me? and the Power of Namecraft
At birth my parents Named my Jerry
What does it mean to Name someone? something?
Once it was the power craft of priest or shaman
To create you into family, tribe or clan
Now it is often rendered without ritual and empty
As you grew a spiritual name or totem was bestowed
I was given two.
Jerry
It was my fathers name
But no one living remembers why
and I was never told.
I gave it to my son in honor of my father, my hero
The name flows from many places
Meaning Ruling Spear, Sacred Name, May God Exalt
Aodhan.
When I was made a Priest, I was given the name Aidan
Little Flame
Light of Christ
Light Bearer
But my heart is more inclined to darkness, divine darkness,
The Darkness of God
My little flame casts shadows all around
Jyoti Das.
Lover of the Light of God!
But where his light burns in darkness
In Clouds of Unknowing
Along the Path of Unmaking
Many Names of Affection
Husband,darling, dear,
Father, daddy, papa
Son, brother, uncle and Friend
Recently a friend said to me
I think I'll call you Seinfeld,
You are entertaining in the same kind of way!
I am all of these and more
Yet none of these and less
Light drives back the womb of darkness
But silhouettes dance on the wall
Ouroborus! The Serpent bites his tail.
From darkness to light, birth and knowledge
From Light back to darkness, death, abandonment
Then comes Resurrection! Life and Enlightenment!
What Name Defines Me?
...I Am.
But The I Am Summons me.
Seek Me in thyself as your deepest Thou
Seek Me in thyself as thy Thou
Seek Me in thyself as your I.
Until I Am, i shall seek for Thee.
A lover and bearer of The Divine Light
On a shadowed path with only a Lamp unto my feet
Where with Moses and other Hoary Headed Wanderers
I ascend the Mountain into the Dark Clouds of God
In the Face of the Son we behold darkness and
I shall be known as I Am known.
-A poem? or random thought inspired by one who called me Seinfeld,
by Fr. Aidan Hix+
11-20-2010
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