Once,
while in winter years,
those of foundation-falling and rebuilding,
I was in my basement room;
and while reading mystic writing,
nothing too exciting, just Madame Guyon,
I was suddenly caught up
in a physical feeling of bliss.
Like nothing I'd ever felt before
it started with my core,
and with its sudden force,
my jaw dropped wide and stayed there,
I could make no sound at all,
my body slid, overpowered, to the floor.
It came as I was reading,
of His fiercely jealous love,
of how He will cover us with abasement,
to keep us wholly to Himself.
Now I understand a little of
the 'Ecstacy of St. Teresa';
however brief, it was a monument,
a lighthouse on the sea.
Once, I was in ecstacy.

Once,
when all my friends had disappeared
and I at God was angry,
was in my bed attempting sleep
but could not for the thoughts.
Lay in anger at my friends,
turned in habit to my lord,
and stopped just shy of speech.
If Him I am not speaking to,
and all others have defected,
I am alone - the absolute -
and shivers shook my bones.
What's cold went colder
the dark turned black
as a universe of emptiness
became a crushing power.

Quickly I called to God, forgiving Him, and
forsaking this brief atheistic haunt,
I have since not left His side;
I will never leave His side.

Meditation

We know that we have passed from death to life
because we love one another.

1 John 3:14

On Charles Darwin...

There are rumours that Charles Darwin, the famed evolutionary theorist, endured a death-bed conversion to Christianity. I don’t intend to find out whether or not that’s true (in this writing), but rather to entertain the thought.

The man is considered pure evil by most adherents to any religion, a robber of faith (and thus salvation), a minion of hell, carrying out its anti-God purposes and lust for power. However colourful this language, I suppose it is somewhat true that he helped keep people from faith, and he also took faith from those who had it, however unconscious he was of its consequences.

Christians are often challenged with the question: “What if so-and-so makes it into heaven?” [feel free to insert your despot or hellion of choice]. What if Darwin was successfully forgiven of all his trespasses just before dying? Is it possible that he is in heaven right now? For this "conversation", let’s say he is.

The first point I want to make is that a death-bed conversion of someone so massively-effective in counter-God activity is an ultimate victory and a huge upset to the enemies of God. This is a phenomenal “war” tactic. That he converted to the thing he was known for fighting is a complete slam against evolution. That the "founder" of this world-view eventually decided that it wasn't true is an enormous discredit to the theory. No wonder the thought of him converting to Christianity has been so fiercely disputed!

At any point in Darwin’s life there could have been the perfect scenario that would have convinced him of God’s presence, and specifically of God’s presence as Jesus, and “saved his soul”. At any point he could’ve converted and all loss of faith in the earth would never have happened. God chose the last 10 or 15 minutes of his life. Why? Why let all those millions (and billions in his legacy) lose faith? The second part of this “war” tactic is that Darwin and his legacy now become a tool of heaven, a sickle if you will, separating wheat from chaff, the real from the imposter. I imagine a white and shining devil roaring with anger at the thought – it’s quite amusing!

My second point involves imagining Charles in heaven, the least of the least, having lived in no way for faith, having been forgiven of so much [unconscious] wrong. (Side note: I think most of our wrongs are unconscious, or are done thinking we are doing right). How humble, then, this squeaker-by! How great an addition to heaven’s bowed! How eternally faithful! I sometimes think about the finality of heaven; how the Bible never mentions anything about anyone being kicked out of, or defecting from, heaven after all is said and done. Is it because we lose the ability to be evil? It’s impossible; we’d cease to be free beings! It’s that we’ve been forgiven of so much that to defect would be unthinkable. The worst sinners forgiven are the most faithful eternal servants.

What if Charles Darwin is there? How many others can we possibly imagine being there? Our thoughts of it have to be so backwards to accept it; seems that way with most things of His world. Wow, I love God.

To make another point, what does it mean for us, as Christians in the earth now, that Charles Darwin could be a brother of ours? Should we speak better of him now? Even if he remained an atheist passing into death, should we still "hate" him? I mean, the bottom line of our faith is forgiveness; not only our own forgiveness by God, but a reciprocation of that forgiveness to everyone else. Some thoughts to chew on I guess!

Bush visits Pope

However the outcome of it, I'm glad Bush took the time to visit Vatican City while in Europe to make audience with the Pope. I'm glad because it shows that Christianity is still relevant, that religion is still relevant. I know this is political showmanship on behalf of the president, but the Pope did get the opportunity to express his concerns to the president over issues like the Iraq war, the global HIV/AIDS crisis, and even U.S. Immigration reform. He spoke on behalf of the Church, telling the president what the faith of 64 million Catholic Americans thought of his work and government. No one else gets to do this!

From the articles I read about the meeting, it almost seems like this resembled a meeting between teacher and student, or boss and employee (with the pope as teacher and boss). Or for a political comparison, a meeting between Queen and Prime Minister.

CNN reports: 'The pope also asked Bush about his meeting in Germany with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has criticized a U.S. missile shield in Europe. "The dialogue with Putin was also good?" the pope asked. Bush, apparently looking at photographers and reporters who were about to be escorted from the room, replied, according to AP: "Umm. I'll tell you in a minute."'

I also find the albeit politically-charged words of Bush after his meeting with the Pope comforting: "After 6-1/2 years of being a president ... I've been to some unusual places and met some interesting people and I was in awe".

Small Wonders.

Source: 'Bush feels Awe for Loving Pope', CNN online, June 9, 2007

The Pope Has Never Read the Bible?

I had heard in the news that the pope’s jeep had been jumped on by an intruder today, so I went to youtube to see if I could get a video of it. Searching “pope” I came up with, and watched, the following video:



I find it quite disturbing and immensely immature. I don’t think it’s disturbing in the cases and points it makes, but that it uses such simpleton logic that would convince the uneducated [in matters of the Bible] very easily. I’m guessing, and I think somewhat accurately, that the creator of this video does not like the pope, or any religious leader for that matter, nor does he believe in any religion. That’s fine, he can do what he wants. But to evangelize with such a lack of tact?

I don’t have much more to say on it other than the fact that I’m quite disturbed that people will see this and generate an opinion using it. I hate closed minds, and I hate when only one side is presented, and this is oozing with those things.