State Sponsored Terrorism: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

Peace sculpture outside The United Nations

All atrocities are rooted in sin.  We all sin.  When we are children, our parents correct our behavior and point out our sins.  They introduce us to God with their love and loving correction.  Later, it is confession, friends, spouses, workmates, and neighbors who help to guide and direct us to righteousness.  For countries, it is other countries and the international community.  The only authorities that officially stand up to the United States and many other powerful countries are The United Nations, The Church, and The International Court at The Hague. The Church and The United Nations are both one-degree from Pope John Paul II.

Many have said, "Nobody can control the United States, the UN doesn't stand up to them" or "The church has no weapons, how can they effect change?"  Without faith, these statements are perfectly true.  Recent events make me fear for the future of my country.  I see my president not standing behind the precedents of The Geneva Conventions, and the Nuremberg Articles.  I see a rise of The Tea Party, a group claiming to be Christian that is steadfastly against love of neighbor and forgiveness.  History tells us that "absolute power corrupts absolutely," and The United States has more absolute power with each passing day.

The International Court

In the face of their daunting task, members of The U.N., The Vatican, and The International Court persist in their mission of justice.  Let's examine their struggles using a few examples of injustice in our world.

Torture
Under the Bush administration (W,) various "enhanced interrogation techniques" or "tortures" were approved. They include water boarding, sleep or food deprivation, walling, and placing a person in a box with insects.


Water boarding is defined as torture by The United Nations.  Pardoning or not prosecuting torturers because they were acting under orders of superiors is indefensible according to the Nuremberg articles.  The particular act of pardoning for this reason is commonly known as The Eichmann Defense.  Adolf Eichmann was a torturer under Hitler and used this defense at his Nuremberg trial for war crimes following World War II.  If this defense was not acceptable then, it is not acceptable anytime!  Here is a portion of Eichmann's trial in Israel in 1961.

In the light of news of torture by Americans, American religious leaders, lead by a Roman Catholic Cardinal, signed a statement denouncing torture.  This was widely reported in THe New York Times and has been revisited by American bishops and other religious and lay faithful since.

Torturers using The Eichmann defense were pardoned by Obama, denounced by International law, denounced by The Church.

2 Degrees

Torture to International Court or The U.N. or American Cardinal who was elevated by John Paul II.

Oh, by the way, The Pope spoke against this too!

Rape

Rape is a horrible distortion of our bodies.  The body is a gift from God, meant to be given to one another in love and service.  The most intimate form of love is reserved for husbands and wives and involves genitals.  When this same act is forced and becomes violent it is an abomination to the image of God.  Just as it is an abomination to take a beautiful tree, which is given for fruit and shade, and use it to crucify God's Son, it is an abomination to take a body, which is an icon of Jesus Himself, and use it as a means of torture and violence.  Yet rape in war and as a tool of torture and ethnic genocide is common in our world.

In Congo, rape has been a tool of war, victimizing hundreds of thousands of women, men, and children!  Not only has an entire generation of child fighters been habituated to rape as soldiers, but they are also victims of rape when captured.  The entire country is demoralized and bleeding from these atrocities.

Congolese man who works for
Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Relief Services is on the ground in Congo.  They have rape crisis counselors working with victims as you read this.  CRS will not abandon the people of Congo, but they could use your help.  Why not donate or support a missionary.  Also, write your Congressmen (Senate and House) and tell them you care about Congo and violence in Africa.

John Paul II, one of the popes to honor
Catholic Relief Services.  

Catholic Relief Services has been honored by all popes since CRS has existed.  Pope John Paul II honored the head of CRS in 2000.  

Financial  Robbery, My Congress at Work!

Why the hell do men and women spend millions to gain a job that pays $140?  They are crooks!  Last night's 60 Minutes episode exposes the corruption.  They write the laws (definition of "legislature") and they control business and know information before it is public.  That is why they sold stocks in September of 2008.  That is why they bought stocks before the health care bill passed, before we knew that it would, in health insurance companies.  They make millions from these trades.  This is wrong.  My congressman is chair of the House finance committee.  I'm sickened by this!  It doesn't surprise me, but it sickens me.  How can we stop this!

They profited when the rest of us were losing our savings!

My own congressman, Barney Frank, is heavily invested in health care stocks.  In his last report, he has accepted trips to The Virgin Islands on a private jet, and to Los Angeles at NBC's expense.  The value of these trips are reported far below what they would have actually cost.  Mr. Frank also did not lose money in the 2008 financial drop, he broke even, "wisely" having invested heavily in municipal bonds.  I wonder why his portfolio was so well managed.  Did he know something that we didn't?  OF COURSE HE KNEW!  He was chair of the House Finance Committee.  He knew about the collapse several months before anyone else and acted accordingly.  He sold his Washington residence just months before the housing collapse.  He now lives in an apartment.  This whole thing stinks to high heaven!

I used legistorm.com to find documents of financial disclosure for Congressman Frank.  You can look up your own representatives.  I urge you to write about what you find, write letters to the editor, and generally embarrass these politicians.  Then, find people who will represent our interests.  I think we should pay congressmen $1,000,000 per year, give them health care in keeping with comparable earners, and take away their ability to flout the laws we are supposed to abide by.  

4 Shameful Degrees

Congress imitating Judas who betrayed Jesus to Peter to The Popes

Steve Jobs, Blessed are those who mourn

As I write this post, Steve Jobs has recently died.  By all accounts, he is an acceptional human being.  He is missed and he is an example of good corporate leadership and inspiration.  Jobs saw death as a great gift for a well-lived life.  Perhaps without death we cannot truly know joy.

Those who die a good death give us the love and the tools to live our life well.  Please take this day and listen and enjoy those who surround you.  The joys you experience with them today are the comfort they give you and the comfort you give them.

In this hysterical satire we link two degrees to John Paul II.  Embedding has been disabled, so please take 4 minutes to click and enjoy.  Fantastic!  Humor is often a great comfort to those who are mourning.

3 Degrees

Steve Jobs to MadTv to George Bush to Pope John Paul II

Julia Bacha, Blessed are the meek for they shall possess the land

h Arab Spring was a phenomenon this year when oppressive Middle Eastern regimes were peacefully overturned, one after the other.  Now, millions of Arabs are peacefully discussing and deliberating their futures and setting the stage for a peaceful world for their children and grand children.

An idea vs an army

Wait a minute!  Aren't Arabs supposed to be uneducated, war-mongering, terrorists?  How could such an Arab Spring be possible?  Isn't that kind of peace against the nature of such barbarians?

We've been lied to!  Many of those lies are lies of omission!  Arabs are not what they've been made out to be.  Can one assume that Americans are murderers, psychopaths, and godless materialists?  Certainly not, yet the majority of school shooters, legendary serial killers, and celebrities are!  Just as we cannot be know through our wacko or hedonistic citizens, so to Arabs cannot.  Yes, those who attacked us on 9/11 were Arab, but they were not a representative sample.

The vast majority of Arabs are meekly demonstrating and claiming their God-given freedom.  Blessed are they, for they ARE inheriting their lands at long last!  A lone voice, that of Julia Bacha is crying in the wilderness.  She is hoping that someone will listen.  Let's take fewer than 10 minutes to hear her speak.

Queen Noor of Jordan (tall in a light blue gown) with Julia Bacha
at the 2009 Dubai film festival

Queen Noor has been acquainted with many first-degreers.  Among them...

Bono

and

Nelson Mandela

let's see

3 Degrees

Julia Bacha to Queen Noor to Bono to Pope John Paul II

or 

Julia Bacha to Queen Noor to Nelson Mandela to Pope John Paul II

The Uncreated Light, Blessed are the poor in spirit

Moses and The Burning Bush

This post begins a series that I'm dedicating to Jesus' Beatitudes.  The first offering in this series is The Uncreated Light.  This miracle is an annual event that announces the Risen Christ EVERY EASTER!   This unconsuming flame has appeared without ceasing every year to encourage the faithful that The Trinity has not abandoned them in this valley of tears.  Both Eastern and Western traditions incorporate new flame and the lighting of candles in a darkened church to commemorate and celebrate this beloved Kiss From God that he bestows on his bride's expectant face each Pascha (Easter).

Iconography of The Transfiguration always
has this stylized light.  Could this painting be
more realistic than previously thought?

The Uncreated Light, the Flame that Does Not Consume, the Bright Light that blinded the apostles on Mount Tabor and appeared above their heads at Pentacost, is a sure sign of God's Love.

Friends, it is only from The Crucifixion that we have The Resurrection.  It is only through becoming lost that we are found.  It is only by losing our life that we gain life eternal.  The Uncreated Light of God that we see on earth each Pascha (Easter) is a glimpse of Heaven.  Note that most people who are surrounded by the flame are completely unaware of its presence.  We all ignore blessings and squander opportunities to encounter the divine.  God is continually forgiving us these oversights (but we should still confess them.)  We should never lose hope but know that God will continue to reach out to us without fail, even as we take our last breath.  Enjoy these films.

2 Degrees

Holy Fire to Apostles to Pope John Paul II
or
Holy Fire to Moses to Jesus to Saint Peter to Pope John Paul II

The Prophet Muhammad

Did the title of this post make you  bristle?  Did you wonder, is this going to confirm my beliefs?  Is it going to be hype?  Is it going to be hate-mongering? Is it going to be politically correct?

There is precious little information about the Arab world before The Prophet.  In fact, among non-Muslim sources, the very existence of The Prophet Muhammad is often questioned.  As with many Christian texts, original documents regarding Muhammad (peace be upon him [pbuh],) may be incomplete or lost.  But many careful and faithful copies of Muslim texts, including the full version of The Qur'an, were completed after the death of the original authors.  This does not mean that the original documents never existed, it is merely a hazard of history, war, the elements, and mobility.  During the Protestant Reformation, 7 books of the bible were taken out of the canon of scripture because of original versions being lost to time.  Coult this be a grave mistake that has done a severe disservice to Protestant spirituality?  The historical Church sure thinks so!

The Catholic Church and The Orthodox Church have NEVER doubted the historical Prophet Muhammad [pbuh].  In fact, Christians have enjoyed a treaty with the founder of Islam for centuries.  This treaty is known as The Achtiname of Muhammad and its authenticity has not been questioned since Muhammad's [pbuh] lifetime by Christians or Muslims.  In fact, the treaty has been renewed with Islamic leaders over the centuries.   Would this mean that The Prophet Muhammad's [pbuh] words became invalid upon his death?  Certainly not.  That would invalidate the Qur'an.  The renewal of the treaty simply showed new generations of Christians and Muslims that The Prophet's words would be respected and upheld, much like the way U.S. presidents swear to uphold The Constitution or witnesses swear on The Bible.

Here is a translation of The Achtiname of Muhammad.

"This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them. Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.

No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.
No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses. Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.

No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray.

Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants. No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world)."

English translation from 'Muslim History: 570 - 1950 C.E.' by Dr. A. Zahoor and Dr. Z. Haq, ZMD Corporation. P.O. Box 8231 - Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8231 - Copyright Akram Zahoor 2000. P. 167.

Similar language and sentiment is recorded in Persia  in The Chronicle of Seert.

I have seen many videos and heard speeches by online personalities, who are otherwise not idiots, talk about Muhammad with hatred and a complete lack of respect.  While it is true that one cannot hold Christian and Muslim beliefs together, it is not true that hateful and disrespectful language toward Muslims is acceptable to God.  If our aim is to convert the world and give His creation back to Him, we must love one another.  Only through Love can the Holy Spirit work toward conversion in the heart of another.

St. Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai

3 Degrees

The Prophet Muhammad signed the above treaty at St. Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai in Egypt.

El Greco was a painter of The Spanish Renaissance.  

El Greco painted St. Catherine's on the back of his Modena Triptych

He also painted Pope Pius V.

Pope Pius V, portrait by El Greco in the 17th Century

Muhammad to El Greco (via St. Catherine's Monastery) to Pope Pius V to Blessed John Paul II

Justin Bieber

5 Degrees

Tween idol, Justin Bieber and fourth degree, Kim Kardashian are friends.

Here they pose together in a photo reminiscent of the Dustin Hoffman
film, The Graduate

Kardashian (front row toward the right in a blue dress) and third degree, Beyonce Knowles (blue cigarette pants and yellow shoes front row toward the left) at 2012 Fashion Week for Vera Wang's show.

We already read in a previous post how Beyonce went to Egypt and met Zahi Hawass to give her three degrees.  Let's take a different tack here to link to Blessed John Paul II.  

In January of 2011, Vera Wang was invited to a state dinner at the White House to greet
Chinese President Hu Jintao

Jackie Chan was also on the guest list

Yo Yo Ma was awarded the Medal of Freedom at
the Chinese State Dinner.  He also performed at Senator
Ted Kennedy's funeral with first degree, Placido Domingo.

This is another picture of the Kennedy funeral.  Note first degree,
President George W Bush and first degree Jimmy Carter.  Cardinal O'Malley is also
a first degree.

Blessed John Paul II and President Jimmy Carter at the
beginning of JP's pontificate

At Castel Gandalfo

4 Degrees

Bieber to Kardashian to Vera Wang to Placido Domingo to Pope JP2

5 Degrees

Bieber to Kardashian to Beyonce to Dr. Hawass to Laura Bush to Pope JP2

Bieber to Kardashian to Vera Wang to Yo Yo Ma to Jimmy Carter to Pope JP2

Bieber to Kardashian to Vera Wang to Yo Yo Ma to Cardinal O'Malley to Pope JP2

The Saints and Heroes of 9/11

May their memory be eternal.  I'd like to tell the story about brave and loving people who were cut down by self-righteousness and judgementalism.  The terrorists who used planes as bombs on 9/11 were certain that they were right and just in their actions.  They were wrong.  The people they murdered were some of the finest that mankind has to offer.

Even in death, Father Mychal saved lives

The man who has since been called, "the saint of 9/11" was a Franciscan friar and chaplain to the New York City Fire Department.  His name was Father Mychal Judge.  His death saved the life of every man in this picture.  If he had not died, these men would have been in the towers, trying to save victims, when the towers collapsed.  Father Mychal's was the first death recorded on 9/11.

For a biography on Father Mychal, click here.  Here is a trailer for the film, The Saint of 9/11.  A documentary film was being made on 9/11 and Father Mychal was captured staring out a plate glass window with his lips moving.  He was absolving people as they fell to their deaths.  Moments later there was an explosion and Mychal Judge was blasted to his death.  As members of his flocked carried his body out of the tower, the tower fell.  For the NPR story remembering Mychal Judge, click here.

1 Degree

The plane that started the fire that killed Father Mychal tipped off the passengers of Flight 93.  Through a series of plane-to-land phone calls, the passengers figured out that their plane was being hijacked to be used as a bomb and that they needed to act in order to save others and possibly themselves.  This past week some tapes were declassified.  These tapes give a clearer picture of what happened on that flight.  Families of those heroic passengers have requested that the final 30 minutes, the portion after "Let's roll," not be released.  That struggle and the impact are private and making them public would not be appropriate.  The 9/11 Commission heard them however, and used the knowledge from them in their report.

Here are some videos and audio clips.  May their memory be eternal.



For a transcript of the above video, click here.

The passengers formulated a plan, voted and ratified it, and implemented it in 30 minutes.  They rammed drink carts into the cockpit door.  In response the terrorist rocked the plane from side to side to knock the passengers down and stop them.  Finally the terrorist flying the plane said "should I put it in" and another said "yes" and the plane was crashed into the earth.  Here is a link to a story which describes that from the tapes.