The upheaval of evil

It is difficult these days to be weighed down by so much evil in the world. Rulers have cohorted with thieves and murderers. States abuse the people by attempting to restrict people from worshiping God in spirit and in Truth. And those who prefer to live in fear exert their control over those who prefer to live normally. Even our church leadership has participated in the evils. They prefer earthly political power over Heavenly humility. Here, on this Great Wednesday, let us reflect though on the trial of Our Lord by the Sanhedrin. Jesus was God Himself, manifested in the flesh. He could have stopped all of this. Indeed, He makes this very point. "Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matt. 26:53 NRSV-ACE) This was in response to St. Peter cutting off the ear of Malchus. It is certainly not that St. Peter was unjustified in doing this, but rather it conflicted with the purpose of the earthly mission of Christ. Jesus came here for one purpose and now was the time to allow the purpose to be fulfilled. It was necessary that St. Peter allow His Lord to be handed over to the Sanhedrin to die for the sake of all. St. Nikolai Velimirovich writes:

"In His prayer in Gethsemane, He said to the Father: Thy will be done (Matthew 26:42). And He immediately knew the will of the Father: that it was necessary that He be given over to suffering. He was in agreement with the will of His Father and set out on the path of suffering. It was necessary to depict the background darkly, that the image of the Resurrection would appear clearer. It was necessary to allow evil to compete as much as it could, so that afterward it would explode and disintegrate into nothing. It was necessary to allow evil to cry aloud, so that soon afterward it would become speechless before the miraculous Resurrection. It was necessary that all the wicked deeds of men against God should be manifested so that all would be able to see the love and mercy of God toward mankind. The angels of God were not sent to defend Christ from the Jews; rather, the angels of God were sent, after three days, to announce the Holy Resurrection of Christ." (The Prologue of Ohrid, March 18)

If evil appears to be extending itself throughout this world right now, it is because God has permitted it for the purpose of bringing about a greater good. It is because the intention is to reveal a much stronger glory in the end. When the Lord was told of Lazarus's ailments, He waited four days before going to Bethany. Lazarus was allowed to die so that Martha would be able to see the resurrection of her brother Lazarus. The raising of Lazarus foreshadowed the Resurrection of Our Lord from the dead. The Sanhedrin had no power over Our Lord. They were allowed to think they had power over Our Lord. Power to make slanderous accusations in order to put Him to death. Power to send Him to the hands of the Roman prefect to have Our Lord put to death. And power to blaspheme Our Lord. But they were powerless. In all of this, they were fulfilling what had already been prophesied of what was to happen to Messiah. They were under the will of God. They believed themselves to have freedom but they were slaves to their passions. They believed that they had control over what was going on but they became agents of the will of God. There is no freedom in evil for evil leads to nothing. Evil is the very act of uncreation for creation is good and very good as declared by God. But evil is uncreation. It is destruction. The evil may seem like it is accumulating but it is truly not. Rather, it continues to rapidly disintegrate into nothing.

As Our Lord is handed over to the Sanhedrin and faces His trial, let us go through this trial with Him. Let us embrace the trials we go through from the Evil One. These are the will of God. We do not want this cup of suffering to pass, but not as we will but as He wills. We were shown at the Transfiguration the full revelation of His glory. But that glory must come to us through a fiery inferno of testing. It is painful because it kills our old selves. Our passions scream out against us refusing to let go, refusing to be changed. The trial is today, but the resurrection is our goal and to those who subject themselves to the trials allowed by God, holding fast to the trust in His mercy to transform our lives, our end will not be nothing but it will be the glorious resurrection. Hold fast to the Lord. The complete upheaval of evil is upon us!

The Feast of the Humble King

We have arrived at Palm Sunday. The final week of the period of strict fasting. In the West, it is the final week of Lent. In my own Byzantine Rite, we ended the Great Lent on Lazarus Saturday the day before. The King has completed a foreshadowing of His Greatest Miracle to be performed and now enters the Holy Gates of Jerusalem. He enters it with a grand entrance fit for a King. A grand entrance fit for a True King, that is. For in this entrance He sets the example for all kings in which He is Lord over. The great and Ven. Thomas á Kempis writes the following:

"Who, while He was supreme and rich and powerful above all, as the Son of God according to the divinity; nevertheless, did not display the excellence of His majesty before the people by worldly pomp: but with much humility and meekness approached the city, rebellious against Him." (Homily XXVII on Palm Sunday)

This final entrance of Our King into the city takes onto the final journey with Him in His life. His journey toward the via dolorosa of Golgotha. We are invited to accompany Him in His glory, waving palm branches before the King and laying them down before Him as is fitting. We are invited with Him and His apostles to the upper room to become the final preparations for the crucifixion, anxiously and ever-examining our own lives to determine if we are worthy. He will ask us whether or not we truly love Him and if we love Him what we must ought do for Him. Some of us may deny Him thrice but be reconciled afterward. Some of us may betray Him to the enemy. Some of us may join Him first along His final journey, carrying the cross He will be executed upon. Some of may have been with Him and will remain with Him our entire lives. That is why the Ven. Thomas á Kempis further observes:

"[L]et us take note further pleasure in examining the apparel and appearance of our humble King, seated upon the colt of an ass: Who, when He was in the midst of rejoicing people, showed no smile, but wept."

Yes, He wept for it is unbecoming in the light of the adversities we face in our constant war against the enemy to start guffawing. There may be delightful moments and joyous moments in this spiritual life but we must always guard ourselves against the enemy's attempt to lure us into not taking this fight seriously. Or this journey seriously. We are beginning to reflect on and remember Christ's final week on this Earth before His death and glorious resurrection. We ought to have joy but we must remember this is not the victory march but the march of a King about to send His troops to battle. And a difficult battle lies ahead of us if indeed those who are most faithful could even slip up in this final struggle against the enemy. The Ven. Thomas á Kempis makes further note of what Our King rode upon:

"Christ, in the beginning of His conflict with the Devil, sat upon the cult of an ass."

Yes! All the fitting! For a King who would choose to be born in nothing more than a cave outside of Bethlehem and then to ride not upon a fine, thoroughbred horse but the colt of an ass! A donkey, the lowliest of creatures has been sat upon! Christ has come to lift up those who are not exalted but He has come to lift up those who are lowly and He has given the ass the highest place of all the animals for this festive day! This is the beginning of the conflict. Will you join with Christ in His conflict? Will you betray Him? Will you collaborate with the Sanhedrin in having the Romans put Him to death? Will you recognize He is truly the Son of God? Will you deny Him but reconcile yourself to Him again in the end? Will you carry on with Him unto the end?

A Steed Fit For a King

Well you may remember my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather from another story. To be honest, I don't even know if that was a sufficient number of "greats" in that there title for my wonderful ancestor who spoke to that sorcerer Balaam long ago. But we are certainly related. Been hauling heavy loads for my master faithfully ever since I was born. Well, that's technically only three years! I'm not nearly as old as he was when he spoke those memorable words to that sorcerer but I've got his blood well-laced in me.

I am not that important of a creature, obviously. Only a mere donkey. But I am proud of my ancestor. I remember it's been passed on in my family that a Great King will ride on the back of one of us some day. Maybe it is so but I think it has always been wishful thinking on our family's part due to the greatness of that old ancestor of mine. I heard there was a King coming into town though this day. People are laying palm branches before his entrance. This must be a great king, it may even be the Great King.

Knock, knock! There is a knock at the door of my master's house. I can make two faces that seem to have followed this certain man around for quite a while. This man, I have heard, has performed many miracles, and the most recent one was to raise a dead man back to life. The local Sanhedrin's been angered by him. They've been trying to get rid of him ever since he started teaching. They're a load of hypocrites though. They do nothing but cause scandals to us. We've seen the way this man acts, behaves, and lives out his teachings. He is greater than all kings of the world, truly.

"We need a foal!" They say to my master.

"I've got horses in the stable, come with me." My master replies.

"We were not told to grab a horse."

"But what could you possibly want?"

A foal but not a horse? Unheard of! My mom and I are tied up to a pole right now in this stable but I am the only foal who isn't a horse here! "Mom!" I bray, "Remember that story that our old ancestor used to tell!"

"Yes dear, I believe it is coming true in you!"

"We need the foal of a donkey." We can hear the man's disciples saying to my master. I can make out their faces. It's Peter and John! These are his two greatest disciples that I hear the people talking about. They're coming to untie me and my mother! "Our King needs you!" They say to us. They lead us through many crowds of people up to the man who raised the dead back to life and they yield my mother and I both to him. "We have found the donkey!"

"Hosanna! Hosanna!" People are crying and rejoicing and laying palm frons all around us as the man mounts upon me and begins to proceed through the City of Jerusalem. This is the prophecy of my great ancestor fulfilled. How can the man who raised the dead back to life not be a Great King? He is greater than all kings of the Earth! Indeed, He is the King of All! Give glory to the King of All, the Great King, who now rides me victoriously through the City of Jerusalem on this Sunday of many palms!

The Theft of the Biden Administration

St. Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain describes the following story:

"That which a certain robber and pirate said to King Alexander [the Great] applies also to you. When arrested and asked why he stole, he replied shrewdly to the king that whereas he stole with a small boat, Alexander did so with a great armada." (Christian Morality, Discourse 8)

We here see the dignity of thieves over that of the crooks who do so in broad daylight. We've reached a position in our country where the Federal Reserve is pumping out money with reckless regard to inflation and the Biden administration is Hell-bent on raising taxes and raising gas taxes to pay for infrastructure. Contrary to when the Trump administration tried this, there is no existing accountability any more. Trump is gone, we can freely raise gas taxes for infrastructure. This harms people who drive 50+miles on a regular basis. People like me are constantly in need of gas and Pete Buttigieg is talking about how great an idea it would be to raise gas taxes according to the mile?

But the theft does not stop there. The Biden administration has now gotten involved in the case of a Colorado man, Edward Caniglia, whose wife falsely accused and slandered him of threatening to harm himself. The man was admitted to the hospital. The hospital found and determined he was of no harm to himself or others. But while he was gone, the cops came and found two guns in his house. Without a search warrant, they stole them. Like it or not, the guns were his personal property, he had the legal right to own them, he posed no danger to himself or others and the cops stole his personal property. Now the Biden administration is arguing in defense of the cops to the Supreme Court hoping that it can become a precedent when they start looting our weapons.

But these acts of theft have become so prevalent in government that no one says a word about them any more. The media cheers it on. It's Alexander the Great looting lands afar with a great armada. The thief will come in the night so as not to be seen. He knows the undignified nature of his business. He has more dignity than our looting and thieving government. Our government has taken after King Ahab. They see Naboth's vineyard and they want it. They desire it. They already have plenty of power but it's not enough. They want your inheritance with it. They take it, they seize it, they loot. They do it with the cops, they do it with the military, they come from abroad with an armada. These are not men of God. These are men of the greatest indignity. They do it in broad daylight, with a thunderous applause from their state-allied media corporations.

Poe's Law Strikes Again!

So today, I posted the above meme on my Facebook feed and very quickly got a sharp, "fake news" warning. CNN never put this in their clip. That's when I remembered where I first saw it was in an article from The Babylon Bee which read "Media Now Claims Shooter Was Factually Arab, But Morally White". While the article may have been making a joke, it's hard to lump this as a slanderous claim based on the way we've seen the mainstream media and CNN behave toward the past two shooting incidents. Both of them, the media was very quick to assert that "racism" played a key role in them.

While I do affirm that all crimes are essentially crimes of hate, it's important to note that, legally speaking, to be a "hate crime", one must actually have deliberate racist intent. The problem is that neither of the past two shootings in either Georgia or in Colorado possessed racist intent. The Colorado shooting does not appear to have a political or religious intent either. Though it is accurate to say that both men had political and religious problems inspiring their shootings, neither of them possessed racist intent.

The media has held this ideology though for the past year that whenever a black man is shot by an officer, the black man must have been doing everything right and posed no perceivable threat whatsoever. This has produced dangerous thinking in how we judge people. People are not to be judged based on their skin color but on the quality of their character. In many cases we have found the black man who was "minding his own business" was actively resisting arrest, was armed, in one instant, stole an officer's weapon, etc. That's not a racist statement to make. It is an observation of events. Just because someone is a shooter doesn't necessarily mean the police will shoot them. If they start firing at the cops, a shoot-out may occur and that would generally lead to the shooter's death. But if the shooter voluntarily surrenders himself to police custody when the cops arrive, they will take him peacefully.

This is what these past two shooters did. That is why both of them are still alive. And not to defend the Georgia shooter as what he did was deranged enough, but he didn't shoot the massage therapists with racist intent. This is lacking in the explanation of the shooting. Clearly this man was severely messed up. He may have benefited from having a confessor or a spiritual mentor (I guess he was Baptist so it would be the latter) but it may have helped him significantly with his sexual temptations. It seems like the church just abandoned him. But he did not possess a racist intent.

The media was quick to declare the Colorado shooter a "white man". That was factually untrue. He was Middle Eastern. He was definitely not white Caucasian which is generally what is meant when the media uses the term "white". But that didn't matter to the media. What mattered was that his skin was pale and he was taken into custody peacefully. So can we blame The Babylon Bee for this satire? Can we blame people who were misled by the photo above? Not really.

There is a law called Poe's law. It is a statement on parody. When the parody becomes so close to the reality that the difference between reality and parody is so skewed that one can no longer tell the difference between what is real and what is the parody. One can be forgiven for having thought the clip was a real CNN banner but it wasn't. It was from The Babylon Bee. But this testifies to the fact that the leftist woke media has so vilified and slandered an entire race of people, the likes of the vilification and slander having not been seen since white people did it to blacks in the 1960s, that we have reached a situation where such parody can be mistaken more easily as reality.

Jordanes - a mighty lion

*I have heard different accounts of what occurred between the lion and the donkey in the following story but the one I base this story on is from the Orthodox Wiki here.

I have been a beast, filled with passions for years. I have been inflicted with the sin of pride throughout my entire life. But like the Apostle Paul, I have been given a thorn by God. I pray that it be taken away. This man here, praying by the River Jordan, I know that he has humility. He shall most assuredly be able to take this thorn from my paw. The pain sears through into my entire being as my pride is cast aside. I lower my head to this unknown man and extend my paw. He pulls the thorn out from it and with it all the beastliness and the pride that were in me has been removed. He introduces himself to me as Gerasimos and invites me to join the monastery.

I have never been a monk before as lions are typically not permitted to join monasteries but they have allowed me to join this monastery and pray with the brothers. I have been given the task to defend this little donkey that moves their heavy loads from place to place as they work during the day. This donkey is most certainly a donkey that is fit for a true king who has learned humility. For the King of All Himself, in the height of His earthly glory, rode upon the back of this donkey's ancestor through the city of Jerusalem! Lions are the king of all beasts and this donkey is my faithful steed!

Sometimes, work is tiring and I am subjected to the harsh torments of the body as I learn to commit myself to humility. I fell asleep but once watching my friend and only awoke upon hearing the cries of "HEE-HAW! HEE-HAW! HEE-HAW!!!" I lifted my head up from the ground, looked out, and saw those awful brutes carrying my dear friend away. "That's not your donkey!" I roared at them, but they were too far removed. I couldn't save my poor friend. I returned to the brothers in sadness. They believed I ate the donkey. I might as well have for the friendship with this animal that I once lived with seemed a distant past.

They punished me by having me do the donkey's tasks. I served those tasks faithfully for I knew that it was in the Will of God that this evil act should transpire to teach me the humility of doing the donkey's work. I know the Justice of God will work all things to His Good. I still look for the donkey each day as I faithfully and obediently perform its tasks. It is much better to be accused of something wicked than it is to have actually committed the wicked act.

One day, I hear out in the field while moving the logs a cry, "HEE-HAW!" Could it be? I lift my head up. I see it! It's my old friend crying out for me! And there are the robbers! "Not this time!" I roar at them. They have three camels with them. What a prize! I extend my claws out, roar with vigor, and rise on my hind legs to make myself out to be larger. The robbers are frightened. They yield the donkey and the camels too! I am so excited to be united to the donkey again! "Hee-haw!" the donkey cries at it licks me lovingly upon the face. "Let's go back to the monastery! The brothers will be so elated to have you back with them!" I say to the donkey. "The camels can come too since now they have no master."

The brothers see us, the donkey and I with the three camels. They see the donkey and realize they had made a mistake in accusing me. There is Gerasimos with them. I run toward Gerasimos, my human friend, the monk who first received me into the monastery. Years later, he has since reposed. I have great sadness in losing my dear friend but great joy in knowing that he has attained union with God. Creation shall be reconciled together with God. Here I lie upon his bodily resting place. A wooden cross on his grave. I am about to make my own final rest. Lions don't live forever. I have already said my final goodbye to the donkey. Here, I must now repose.