Mass Symbolism

I've been reading up a bit about how the mass parallels the book of Revelation and how mass is heaven brought to earth. There are so many references to the Old and New Testament that I could spend forever trying to find them. What I think some people often miss is that the book of Revelation is not just God's will fulfilled. It is our grace renewed. Did you know the place John describes as heaven is just like the garden of Eden? And this "garden" is now opened to us? Did you know that every time you attend mass you are getting married?

Garden of Eden




"The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil." - Genesis 2:9

"So he drove out the man: and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life." - Genesis 3:24

I think what is often missed is that the tree of knowledge was not the only tree in the garden. There was also the tree of life. The tree of life was, for Adam and Eve, their source of everlasting life. God only prevented them from eating from the tree of knowledge. The tree of life is actually symbolized in the book of Revelation. It does not go out and say "this is the tree of life". I will explain more later, but the description is parallel to the tree.

I also noted the cherubim that were placed to guard the entrance to the garden and the flaming sword guarding the tree of life. These are also referenced in the book of Revelation.

A Garden Before the Throne


"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." Revelation 2:7


"Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front in back." -Revelation 4:6

"And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals." -Revelation 5:1

The first quote makes a direct reference to the tree of life. The Spirit is telling the early churches that those who overcome the earthly trials have the right to eat from the tree, which is with God.

Okay here is where the symbolism gets tricky. Imagine God on the throne as a tree. His right arm is a branch. And in his right hand is the fruit of life. Look at the third quote. The scroll with the seven seals is the fruit of life. The scroll is the word of God, the new source for life. The only person deemed worthy to unseal God's word was Jesus. Jesus was given responsibility over our source of life by His father.

The four living creatures with a bunch of eyes on them are cherubim. They are seen dwelling "among the throne, and around the throne". If you look back to the quotes about the garden you will notice that God placed cherubim at the entrance to the garden as guards.

Four Cherubim

The flaming sword is a little more tricky. In Hebrew it can mean a supernatural weapon that brings forth destruction. It is seen guarding every way of the tree of life.  There is no mention of a "flaming sword" in the book of Revelation, however there are many references to god sending forth fire (see Lev 10:1, Num 11:1, Num 16:35).

So here we have Cherubim and the throne of God and between them is a garden described as a sea of glass.

"And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing on the glass sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name. They held harps given to them by God." -Revelation 15:2

So here it is; victors of God standing in the garden before God's throne, the same place Jesus stood as a slain lamb.

God Got Divorced


Let me make that more clear. When Adam betrayed Him, God essentially divorced with man. He cut man off from His grace.

This is what Jesus did; He got married to us again.  Let me begin explaining this with a video:

By accepting the cup of his new covenant we are saying "I do!" Mass is then like a vow renewal.
We are drinking from the cup of his blood and partaking in his body. We are saying "I do" while uniting with him physically and emotionally. Sound a lot like a relationship between husband and wife? It is. Marriage between a man and woman is symbolic of this relationship. That is, Christ's marriage to the church.

That is why in marriage, a man's role is like God's while a woman's role is like the church. One willingly submits out of love while the other leads out of love.

So the mass is like the doorway opened up to heaven. We are renewing our vows as we prepare for the marriage ceremony. Our marriage altar is in the garden. We will stand before God's throne, be united with Christ and eat from the tree of life (excluding the harps hopefully).

Four Things I wish I Could Tell My Younger Self

Four Things I Wish I Knew

1. You are not alone. In fact, there is a man who died for you.

He took your sins to the grave and even now shoulders the weight of your burdens. All you have to do is let him. Your body was made for more than just you. It is a tent for two and it houses your spirit and also His. Face it; there are things you just can't do. But, He can. Invite him into your tent. Give him control. He is your general who draws up the battle plans for your life. You only have to humble yourself. This man is God. You can't be God. But, He can. He lives through you, but only if you're willing.

2. No one on Earth will ever fill that space in your heart

That space is reserved for God. A girl is not that big and she probably won't fill the seat. God will. It seems weird right? You can't fall in love with an asexual being. That is where you are mistaken. Love is not an outcome of sex. Don't fret though. God leaves room for another person in your heart.  Even though he is enough.

3. Don't let other people shape your reality


What I mean is, don't give in to peer pressure. I found the best you is the one modeled in Christ and not by everyone else. You may think religion is full of it and you could be right. Remember that religion is an outcome from man. Men are not perfect. Christ is perfect. Don't judge anything until you try it. And things like sex, smoking and partying don't make you cool. They don't liberate you or make you a man. If anything, not needing that stuff is even more liberating.


4. Don't let your lack of love today keep you from loving tomorrow

Life can be hard. Believe me, I know. You try to keep up with school and friends, try to live up to the expectations of your parents and try to live up to your own expectations. Still, you will find that you always come up short. And that life becomes more about "me" and less about everyone else. None of the yesterdays matter. Take your daily bread as it is. Life is too short to worry about what couldn't be done or just how obsolete you think you are. Christ thinks you're perfect. There will be people you love who reject you. Don't let that dictate your life. Instead of thinking about how alone you are today, think about how much more you can love tomorrow.

Fishers of Men

"'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men." -Matthew 4:19

I often wonder what I would say if a stranger said something like that to me. If I was like anyone else in their right mind, I would turn him down then call the police. Yet, Peter, Andrew, James and John did the opposite.


They chose to drop everything and follow Him.  James and John even turned from their father to follow Jesus! That is some serious faith right there. Faith that I think is often misinterpreted by the world today.

After Jesus died and was risen and the Holy Spirit descended upon the people of earth something happened. Something so influential it changed the lives of millions of people today. It was the early Church preaching the gospel.

In America, I have noticed apprehension and even hatred towards the Catholic Church. Priests are somehow involved in a sex scandal and suddenly the Church is just a hypocrite like the rest of us. All I have to say is I agree. Let me make it more clear. Religion is not God. The Church that makes the religion is not God.  The men that make up the Church are not God.

Peter and his disciples didn't say "follow the Catholic Church. We are the way." No, they cast a very different net; the word of Jesus. It was very simple what they had to say. "Christ has died for you and is risen! Repent and follow the Lord!" It was more believable for Jews, but just imagine how confused the Romans felt.

The people in America are very much like the Romans. They are ignorant of Jesus and protect their identity under the guise that the Church is what makes God, when in reality,God is what that makes the Church!

 I blame it mostly on our own failure to preach the gospel properly. Who is more responsible, the person receiving the message or the person who gives it?  Our way of thinking is very Church centered. "Protestants are wrong." "The Catholic Church is the true religion."

We need to go back to the apostolic days and preach the word of Christ how it was meant to be preached. That it is Christ and not the Church we need to follow.

I am not saying the Catholic Church is the wrong way, I think it is the true church that is recognized by Jesus. I like to think of it as more of a guide. They lead me to Christ, but they are not Christ.

Pope Benedict XVI arrived at a similar conclusion as me. In his message for World Mission Day 2012, he urged every Catholic to become a missionary. Meaning we should dedicate ourselves to preaching the good news. Similar to early Church history.

He wants Christ to be known. He wants us to become fishers of men.

Community in Christ

This post came to me in light of recent events with the Treyvon Martin case.

What's with the hostility? How did this become a case involving the race of a person? I understand there has been bad blood between the white and black community. America is a nation based on different cultures. I just don't understand how that justifies hatred towards a group of people. What does "racist" even mean anymore?

How can we expect to become a nation that defines people "not by the color of their skin, but by the quality and content of their character" if we are so apprehensive to each other. This is a problem not only with race, but with religion as well.

A Catholic priest is caught with child porn so suddenly the Catholic Church is bad?  Let me take you back to the life of Jesus. The scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman who committed adultery. She had broken the law that Moses commanded to them and they were to stone her. Jesus knelt down in front of her and began writing in the dirt. They continued to pester Him so he stood up and said this: "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

Yes, we are a nation of different cultures. But more importantly, we are a community of sinners. Everyone is a hypocrite. Our truths mean nothing.

"When Jesus had raised himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, 'Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.'"-John 8:10

No one can judge unless they judge themselves. Don't tell a person to remove a splinter in their eye unless you first remove the plank in yours.

We need to look at ourselves not from a cultural or religious background. We need to realize that no man is beneath another in the eyes of Christ. We need to develop a community in Christ.

Speaking from a secular standpoint, we need to recognize we are different and love one another despite so.

Abortion

I have to admit, before I wanted to become Catholic, I was stuck between individual rights and the right to life. Everyone should have the right to be alive right? And everyone should have rights over their own bodies right? But I realized something new.

Rethink Immoral 


It pains me to see women saying it is "immoral" not to give them rights.  I just can't figure out what is a right and what is a law anymore.  Everyone has the right not to be killed, but they don't have the right to be saved?  Isn't the very act of not saving someone doing NOTHING for fear of your own life?  So as long as a baby is dependent on the mother the mother can choose to ACT.  They aren't doing NOTHING by going to a clinic.  They are in fact, going to ACT on ending a "potential" life. Explain that logic.

And women say it is immoral? If anything the very concept of abortion is demoralizing towards women.

Imagine this scenario. A woman decides to have sex. She gets pregnant by accident. "What about my career? What about the father? It's okay, this is fixable."

A world in which a woman can just "fix" being pregnant. The pressure on sex is no longer a problem. In fact, it is your right to have sex. Don't you see what is happening? Men are losing the pleasure of pursuit. They don't enjoy the modesty of a woman any longer. And women are losing what makes them so unique; that they have power over men and power to give birth. Being a girl or a man is no longer important because men don't see you; they see sex.

And just think of the mother who aborted. Will she even feel guilty? It seemed to make sense then. But if she could take it all back what would her life be like?


I see it as a hand I can never hold,a little less "I love you's" I will get to hear, a smile I can never see, baby food I will never get the chance to try and pride I will never feel when I see my son or daughter become someone great.



Women, I urge you to rethink your concept of "immoral."  I am not a man trying to take your rights away. I just want to see you; not your boobs nor your butt. I want you to see how beautiful and empowering you can be over me.  I want you to be blessed with a beautiful child that will show you the love you have been missing your entire life.

Dealing with Life

There a parts in our lives that seem too hard to bare. Tired physically and emotionally, what should we turn to but spirituality?

This post is a special request from a friend dealing with stress in her life. Don't worry friend. I'm a super hero. I'm trained in saving the day. The first thing I have to tell you is for you to realize that you are not the cog-master to the clock of life.

"The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised." -Job 1:21

The book of Job is a prime example. In it, we see God allowing Satan to test a faithful man of his love for the Lord. Job is a wealthy man. His children are crushed. His servants murdered. And his livestock die too. He also becomes afflicted with boils. He ends up shaving his head and tearing off his clothes and praying in deep sorrow to God.

In the end, God gives him everything back and more! Friend you need to accept it is not your will but His. He is the true cog-master! Everything in your life is not a result of what you have done; it is what God has done through you. Hmm...through you...sound familiar?

Holy Spirit


I was never able to conceptualize what the Holy Spirit was until recently. I thought it was God saying things in my head! The problem was, I was in my head too!

Once I got a grasp of the will of God, I understood it much better. Your body is a temple. That temple is a house for the Holy Spirit. God dwells in you!

Okay, God is in you, now what? What does that mean for me?

"And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth" -Revelation 5:8



This is an image of what went down when Jesus was brought up to heaven. The Lamb is Jesus. He has seven horns, which is a symbol of the seven churches on earth. He also had seven eyes, which is a symbol of wisdom and are also the seven spirits. Those seven spirits are: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. They are the Holy Spirit!

Christ is given control of the Church and of the Holy Spirit through his Father. Through  Him you find salvation. In His words, you find comfort.

With accepting just how little in control you actually are you are welcoming the Holy Spirit to dwell in you. By allowing Him to dwell in you, you are receiving the strength you are looking for. (Keep in mind how sin hinders us from these).

My Very Mean Sponsor

With a very good message. If I was a journalist, she would be like my editor. She bullies me in the right direction and makes me feel guilty. As you can tell I have mixed emotions.

Lately, I have been enjoying the attention from the blog posts. I now realize that I am moving in the wrong direction. In an attempt to humble myself and remember the true intentions of this blog, I am eliminating my existence!

What I mean is, my real-life existence with the blog. I developed my super hero persona so I wouldn't be identified and could give proper glory to God. I have found myself down playing that persona a lot lately.

So this blog is a reminder to all of us of whom true success comes from; the will of God! And bullies that tell you so.



Catechu-Man awayyy!!! (Yes I can fly)

Lent

I know I am pretty late on this one, but I figured it could still do some good.

Lent

Why do we have lent? Here is a question that I think we should ask ourselves every year. I can't really judge, being this is the first time I have honored it, but I feel like the deeper meaning is so often missed.

"I do it because it is honorable to God." I think our viewing scale needs to be adjusted if that is all there was to it. I like to see it as a wonderful opportunity to see Jesus in a new light. It is one of the few times we have the opportunity to see Jesus not as the son of God, but see him as Jesus the man.


Jesus is Two-Faced?

No, I am not saying Jesus is an evil-doer that likes to fight Batman. Nor am I comparing him to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Batman version of Jesus

 I am just saying Jesus is very much God. However, he is also very much a man. During lent, we are called to remember the sacrifice he made for us upon the cross.

 I can tell you right now, Lent doesn't work unless you feel tempted. And isn't the temptation to cling onto life what Jesus had to go through?

The night Judas betrayed Him with a kiss we see a different kind of Jesus. Not a righteous man that could walk on water and heal the lame; but a weak and broken man.

"And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and he knelt down and prayed, Saying 'Father, if it is Your will take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.' Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground." -Luke 22:41

Despite agony, despite temptation, despite Satan's whisper, he still chose us. He chose us over his life.

 Jesus is More Like Us Than We Thought


Lent is very much a recollection of or our sins. It is also very much the opportunity to relate to Jesus at a time he was at his most human. This is the point where we can say "hey, I've done that." Jesus didn't just die as God. He died as a man. He overcame temptation as a man.

And just as Jesus chose us over his life, lent gives us the opportunity to choose Him over temptation. We don't just honor Him, we get to live Him and understand Him! Lent is more than just honoring God. Lent is a relationship grower between you and Christ!

Premarital Sex

Don't do it.

I wish that was all I had to say. Unfortunately, it is not that easy. Especially living in America. Isn't it ironic that freedom of religion comes at the price of being exposed to everything else?

Abortion, contraceptives, sex, separation of church and state and the list goes on and on.  It's like we are so caught up in what everyone else is doing we fail to see the plan set out before us.

Peer Pressure


Peer pressure is a scary thing. Human beings are naturally social people. We want to fit in and adjust according to others. Have you ever stood up at the wrong time in Mass and tried to pretend that you didn't?  The same thing happens with the idea of sex before marriage.

"Sex sells" "it feels good" "well I love him" "my friends don't judge me for it"

For guys you got your "bros" and girls you got your "girlfriends". Then there is the media and advertisements posted across billboards and on TV screens.

 Think back to the parable of the mustard seed. A seed grown on good ground bears good fruit. A seed grown among thorns is strangled. Do you not understand? They are the waves all around you, beating you down. You are struggling to stand up but you are sinking deeper. Then you look up; and there is Jesus holding out His hand.  "Is your faith so little?" And here he is holding out his hand for you. It doesn't matter what your friends say. Take his hand. We are the crown of thorns upon His head.  We are the cross he bore upon his back to the very end. Yet he is still helping us stand up.

Remember, the wisdom of the wisest men is nothing compared to God's foolishness. Why are you so inclined to please your friends but fail to answer God?

Marriage


"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" -Jeremiah 29:11

God has a plan for everyone. And just as He created Eve from the same flesh as Adam, He also has created a person for you to share one flesh with.

Marriage is one of my favorite things to talk about because it is the closest we will get to heaven in this life.

 I am not talking about the business contract "marriage" the United States recognizes; I am talking about the holy matrimony of two people recognized by the church. Marriage is more than just a contract. It is more than the love between two people; it is the love Jesus had for His church. It is His love made tangible.

This love is so valued it is a sacrament! It goes way beyond sex. It is more than two bodies rubbing against each other to make a baby. When I say two people becoming one flesh I am not talking in a literal sense. In essence, it is two spirits joining together! It is like the union we will have with God in heaven. An unbreakable union that God had created with not only His intentions, but yours too.


Temptation


No one is perfect. For guys, there is the issue of pornography. With girls well, I have no idea what you think about. What I am trying to say here is that there will be times where you think about sex or even have sex.

It is also tricky because normally when you commit a sin it is an act. But Jesus says if we think about having sex with someone it is like committing adultery in the heart.

He doesn't expect us to never ever think about sex until marriage. It is not like a Catholic man doesn't want to be sexually pure. I think what he wants us to do is learn to stray away from it. I have had instances of leering at a girl in really tight jeans or watching a Victoria's Secret commercial. If you think of it as something to be avoided you will find your eyes moving away from it. Now, every time I see an attractive girl I attempt not to stare and ultimately, end up looking away.

If you find yourself thinking about sex than okay. Sex is not a bad thing. God created sex to be enjoyed, but enjoyed with a lifelong partner. Just try to realize His intentions with sex, not everyone else's. Know the difference between lust and love. One is longing for the body, and  the other for the spirit. Take His hand and let not your will be done, but His.

Virtues

"And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." -I Corinthians 13:2

I have found that following Jesus is tricky. If I remember to do one thing, I forget to do another. Lately, I have been trying to find the "essence" of Catholicism. The answer I can have with me at all times when I forget what I am doing or where I am going with my faith.

What am I missing? I had it before I knew anything about being Catholic, but somehow I lost it again. The idea really hit me when a friend of mine gave me an idea for a blog post on what has affected him in his faith. He brought me the quote you see above (and now below).

"Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away." I Corinthians 13:8

Love. It has been a topic I have touched on recently in older posts. Before I had  the knowledge, all I had to go by with faith was love. I have been so caught up and catching up with everyone else in their wisdom  that I forgot the very thing that drove me to becoming Catholic.


Defining love is very hard. It could be called self-sacrifice. It could also be called a feeling of closeness to another person. I think it is so hard to define because love is very much God.  There is no way I can define that. Rather, I find it much easier to figure out what love is not. What is the opposite of love? Hate. What then, spouts hatred?

Seven Cardinal Sins
I don't really want to call them sins because they are not sins. They are faults in the human conscious that inclines us to sin. The worst of these faults is pride. Pride is taking pleasure in one's own glory. Pride is the (supposed) reason that Lucifer was cast out from heaven. Pride is the reason many people stray away from God.

Luckily, there are virtues to counter-act such faults.

Pride-Humility
Humility is the opposite of pride because it is a lack of one's own importance. It is considered the most important virtue out of them all. With this virtue, all the others will follow. Being humble is the form of self-sacrifice that is love. For me, it is realizing just how helpless I am without the glory of God shined down upon me. I have also found that when I do acts out of this virtue, I feel most at peace. However, there have been times where I did the exact same thing without love and I gained nothing from it.

Envy-Love
Envy is hating people for having something we don't such as wealth or good looks. It is an emotion for the insecure. The focus of someone in envy is about themselves. That is why love, which is an act of humility, is it's counter.

Sloth-Zeal
Sloth is becoming lazy. Mainly becoming lazy in what God commands us to do. I think this isn't too much of an issue for myself, but it is definitely a big part in the role of "pseudo-Catholics". Zeal is the emotional response we get for God. It is passion. Jesus shows zeal when he kicks everyone out of the temple because they used it as a place of social gathering instead of for God.

Gluttony-Temperance
Taking more than you need. Over-eating/drinking or taking glory that someone else deserves. It is a "me-first" then you kind of feeling. Temperance is agreeing with yourself that you don't need more than what you have already.

Lust-Self Control
This is an area that I am lacking in. This reminds just how incredibly weak I am.That is why self-control is the virtue I pray for most. Lust of course is a desire for the opposite sex based on physical attraction.

Wrath-Kindness
Wrath is very simply anger. It shows no patience for others and is different from zeal. Zeal is passion with love. Wrath is like a passion without love. The opposite of anger is kindness. Kindness is patient. It is humbling yourself to the needs of others.

Greed-Generosity
This deals more with wealth so it is different from gluttony. Jesus says it is much easier for a camel to go through the head of a needle than it is for a rich man to get to heaven. I secretly believe Jesus was a comedian part time. Anyhow, this one is pretty straight forward. In order to reach heaven we will have to leave our earthly possessions behind. That is why Jesus tells the child to give away all his things if he wants to live a life of grace.

Applying Virtues

Like sinning, having virtues is not something you get just be saying "I am going to love from now on". How then, will I be able to live a life the way Christ intended? How can I have faith with love? Where is it in my life where I need to practice humility?

Realizing that virtue is a practice, Christianity is more than churches and bibles; I need to learn how to love people the way Christ loves people. I need to love Christ the way he loves me.