Ascending

A Swedish White Beam Tree.

I have read numerous stories of the life of Saint Padre Pio.

The reality which he lived is obvious in his face, and in his dealings with people around him. 

It would have been a tremendous grace to have been present at the Masses he celebrated, but can celebrate no longer. The majesty of God and Heaven shone on his face, and the mysteries of His passion came to life as he celebrated the mysteries, with the terrible burden of sin and the pains of the passion lived vividly for those to see who were privileged.

Suffering goes on in the world as if one long sigh of the Lord's breathing and living nailed to the cross. In Padre Pio, in the descriptions of those who witnessed the holocaust of His suffering, people could see the reality of the passion revealed before them. People could stand in wonder beholding what he willingly chose to embrace in reparation for our sins, and to give testimony to the joy which awaits those who have lived so as to be saved from the waste of this world, in favor of the next, where it is as if  no one shares the love of Jesus with anyone else. The glory of the heaven of Jesus was present in the midst. 

This exceptional man gave his all and more to Jesus in all he did. That in itself was an admonition to everyone that salvation matters and is worth every  moment we suffer, when we do. The cross he bore was a share of the cross Jesus Himself shared with those whose lives were meant to be an exposition of real Body and Blood.

Life exacts a toll from each of us. It is not possible to escape suffering while we live in this world, but we can rise above what we endure in life, long enough to catch a glimpse of glory and the majesty of the Lord and miracle of His passion. He does not ask very many to join Him and share with Him the life and moments of His life and death.

To each  of us is given a role to play, and few are they who share Golgotha as He lived it. Joined to the lives of those who do, is His own peace undiminished in any way, to savor in the challenges of life and share with others as we are given the opportunity to do.

The revelation that reveals His love to us is meant to make us like Him, sharing love with others, regardless of the grief to be lived in company with it, making the love revealed and enshrined in us, a monument to Him.

There is one Self that matters in this world, the Body Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus free of death and suffering, living in the bliss of our union with Him which engenders His love in a blighted world. Erasing every blemish on this world was the goal of Jesus in the world. If He shows us the glory He created, it will change the world and us in it forever, so that we understand His life and all our lives, and the evil in the world might be deprived of the satisfaction He thereby gives to His children.

Some of that glory was given me to see and share through many sorrows and much pain, but I continue to dedicate my existence to the sharing of that vision of His goodness with you, His children. I pray that He  may succeed in revealing His love to you and enable you sanctify the lives of others in any way He gives you to do. If you succeed in seeing the vision to which I refer, God's Will shall have been accomplished and I will be rewarded by Him for my small love.

Ascending

A Swedish White Beam Tree.

I have read numerous stories of the life of Saint Padre Pio.

The reality which he lived is obvious in his face, and in his dealings with people around him. 

It would have been a tremendous grace to have been present at the Masses he celebrated, but can celebrate no longer. The majesty of God and Heaven shone on his face, and the mysteries of His passion came to life as he celebrated the mysteries, with the terrible burden of sin and the pains of the passion lived vividly for those to see who were privileged.

Suffering goes on in the world as if one long sigh of the Lord's breathing and living nailed to the cross. In Padre Pio, in the descriptions of those who witnessed the holocaust of His suffering, people could see the reality of the passion revealed before them. People could stand in wonder beholding what he willingly chose to embrace in reparation for our sins, and to give testimony to the joy which awaits those who have lived so as to be saved from the waste of this world, in favor of the next, where it is as if  no one shares the love of Jesus with anyone else. The glory of the heaven of Jesus was present in the midst. 

This exceptional man gave his all and more to Jesus in all he did. That in itself was an admonition to everyone that salvation matters and is worth every  moment we suffer, when we do. The cross he bore was a share of the cross Jesus Himself shared with those whose lives were meant to be an exposition of real Body and Blood.

Life exacts a toll from each of us. It is not possible to escape suffering while we live in this world, but we can rise above what we endure in life, long enough to catch a glimpse of glory and the majesty of the Lord and miracle of His passion. He does not ask very many to join Him and share with Him the life and moments of His life and death.

To each  of us is given a role to play, and few are they who share Golgotha as He lived it. Joined to the lives of those who do, is His own peace undiminished in any way, to savor in the challenges of life and share with others as we are given the opportunity to do.

The revelation that reveals His love to us is meant to make us like Him, sharing love with others, regardless of the grief to be lived in company with it, making the love revealed and enshrined in us, a monument to Him.

There is one Self that matters in this world, the Body Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus free of death and suffering, living in the bliss of our union with Him which engenders His love in a blighted world. Erasing every blemish on this world was the goal of Jesus in the world. If He shows us the glory He created, it will change the world and us in it forever, so that we understand His life and all our lives, and the evil in the world might be deprived of the satisfaction He thereby gives to His children.

Some of that glory was given me to see and share through many sorrows and much pain, but I continue to dedicate my existence to the sharing of that vision of His goodness with you, His children. I pray that He  may succeed in revealing His love to you and enable you sanctify the lives of others in any way He gives you to do. If you succeed in seeing the vision to which I refer, God's Will shall have been accomplished and I will be rewarded by Him for my small love.

Warning

The many facets of Mt. St. Helen's eruption
are a focus of continuing study.

The month of May is here; fog, wind and rain. it seems as if hurricane season will arrive unexpectedly and be abnormally strong. We have already endured day after day of mid-west storms and tornadoes, tore everything up as sustained explosions blasted away homes and cars and lives, without end.

Mount Saint Helens is remembered for its symmetrical beauty, and the catastrophic explosive eruption that blew away the side of the mountain in a monumental  landslide that uncorked the violent magma within and raced out over the countryside in every direction, while at the same time, a pyroclastic flow ripped through the surface of the countryside, erasing entire forests and stripping everything for miles. Fifty seven people died in the event. and millions of dollars of property were laid waste far and wide. 

I was living in Kelso, Washington at the time, and remember these things vividly as the mountain's glaciers were melted into oblivion by the hot ash, and rivers originating on the mountain tore through river basins all the way to the Columbia River, so that it became necessary for ocean going ships stranded by the flow of mud, to wait for the chanels to be dredged. On that day, May 18th 1980 around 8 am, ash exploded into an eruptive column straight up  in the air for miles. Only a few other volcanoes in the world surpassed that eruption, and they were responsible for thousands of deaths and tsunamis. 

It is hard to say whether our sinfulness was responsible for any part of these things, or whether it was simply an act of nature that happened on the human scene. I remember the fear I felt as we were warned of flooding from the rivers and torrents of water mixed with ash, as I was living in an apartment near the Cowlitz river. two weeks after the eruption, there was another lesser eruption which blasted ash up and over the countryside, covering everything in ash mixed with spring rain. The weight of ash in gutters caused the gutters to be ripped off the sides of buildings. As the rain passed, warmer weather arrived, and the ash blew everywhere inside or outside. Powerful jets of water were used to clear the ash, but it remained in the air as very fine dust for sometime afterward. It looked as if it had snowed, yet it was not white, but dull grey.

Trees are springing up  in the blast zone, fish have returned to Spirit Lake, and herds of elk have found their way back. The old forest is gone, fallen on the ground stripped of limbs and needles, laid in neat rows by the force of the wind in the blast. Yet wildflowers have returned, and tiny animals.

Much was learned in the explosion of the mountain. Mt. St. Helens periodically erupts violently, so we have not seen the last of the mountain's violence. Three mountains in the Cascades form an ominous triangle; Mt. St. Helens, Mt Adams, and Mt. Rainier, which rises over 14 thousand feet, some fifty miles or more from Seattle. Very little warning can accompany the eruption of these  peaks, and little opportunity to flee are available.

Life continues, and we are warned about our sins, so that we always have an opportunity to change our ways. God waits for us to change and helps us prepare for what is awaiting us. His love is our shield, but it is one that can help others as much as us.

Warning

The many facets of Mt. St. Helen's eruption
are a focus of continuing study.

The month of May is here; fog, wind and rain. it seems as if hurricane season will arrive unexpectedly and be abnormally strong. We have already endured day after day of mid-west storms and tornadoes, tore everything up as sustained explosions blasted away homes and cars and lives, without end.

Mount Saint Helens is remembered for its symmetrical beauty, and the catastrophic explosive eruption that blew away the side of the mountain in a monumental  landslide that uncorked the violent magma within and raced out over the countryside in every direction, while at the same time, a pyroclastic flow ripped through the surface of the countryside, erasing entire forests and stripping everything for miles. Fifty seven people died in the event. and millions of dollars of property were laid waste far and wide. 

I was living in Kelso, Washington at the time, and remember these things vividly as the mountain's glaciers were melted into oblivion by the hot ash, and rivers originating on the mountain tore through river basins all the way to the Columbia River, so that it became necessary for ocean going ships stranded by the flow of mud, to wait for the chanels to be dredged. On that day, May 18th 1980 around 8 am, ash exploded into an eruptive column straight up  in the air for miles. Only a few other volcanoes in the world surpassed that eruption, and they were responsible for thousands of deaths and tsunamis. 

It is hard to say whether our sinfulness was responsible for any part of these things, or whether it was simply an act of nature that happened on the human scene. I remember the fear I felt as we were warned of flooding from the rivers and torrents of water mixed with ash, as I was living in an apartment near the Cowlitz river. two weeks after the eruption, there was another lesser eruption which blasted ash up and over the countryside, covering everything in ash mixed with spring rain. The weight of ash in gutters caused the gutters to be ripped off the sides of buildings. As the rain passed, warmer weather arrived, and the ash blew everywhere inside or outside. Powerful jets of water were used to clear the ash, but it remained in the air as very fine dust for sometime afterward. It looked as if it had snowed, yet it was not white, but dull grey.

Trees are springing up  in the blast zone, fish have returned to Spirit Lake, and herds of elk have found their way back. The old forest is gone, fallen on the ground stripped of limbs and needles, laid in neat rows by the force of the wind in the blast. Yet wildflowers have returned, and tiny animals.

Much was learned in the explosion of the mountain. Mt. St. Helens periodically erupts violently, so we have not seen the last of the mountain's violence. Three mountains in the Cascades form an ominous triangle; Mt. St. Helens, Mt Adams, and Mt. Rainier, which rises over 14 thousand feet, some fifty miles or more from Seattle. Very little warning can accompany the eruption of these  peaks, and little opportunity to flee are available.

Life continues, and we are warned about our sins, so that we always have an opportunity to change our ways. God waits for us to change and helps us prepare for what is awaiting us. His love is our shield, but it is one that can help others as much as us.

Brother Michael of the Cross

 In case anyone didn't know, I am not a charitable organization. I do not loan or give money to anyone. I live on Social Security - period. I pray, I meditate and I fast and do penance. Do  not ask me for money, because I cannot give to anyone. I am a Lay member of the Roman Catholic Church, and not a clerical member. I am not a priest, nor am I a member of a religious order or organization. What I do is not directed by anyone else. I try to do what I think God is asking me to do.

Thank you

Brother Michael of the Cross

 In case anyone didn't know, I am not a charitable organization. I do not loan or give money to anyone. I live on Social Security - period. I pray, I meditate and I fast and do penance. Do  not ask me for money, because I cannot give to anyone. I am a Lay member of the Roman Catholic Church, and not a clerical member. I am not a priest, nor am I a member of a religious order or organization. What I do is not directed by anyone else. I try to do what I think God is asking me to do.

Thank you

Unknown

What would you ask? Behold the
answer :) I love and so you are.

 My foot is remarkably improved. there is still pain and a little swelling, and the inflammation is subsiding. It all makes me wonder. On one hand, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Jesus on the cross, and on the other, to wonder at His mercy and His love, renewed as healthy.

If only people could be persuaded to be more like Jesus, there would be a different world and a different humanity.

If nothing else, He has been revealed as one who takes off His cloak of invisibility to reveal a  love that is incandescent. He took off His clothes so He could be crucified, and died so He could rise from the sepulcher, ending all doubts and discussions by the wise or anyone else. All malignant loneliness gives way to union with Him in the state of His Being.

One enters into sharing the divine life by beginning to share in the divinity as much as in the mortality. All arguments are ended by the simple act of making us well.

He stood out in singularity, utterly unique, and yet distressingly the same as all other men. He could have been hacked to pieces, burnt alive or simply shot with an arrow. But it ended according to His desire. I desired well-being at the same time as I desired to share in some manner He determined, in His passion, and so I did. As it turns out, my share in the passion was delimited by demonstrations of His mercy, by first being made utterly helpless. But it was in a caring environment. One must participate, and will to be as disposed and participating in the offering of a will and a heart to God who has no need for them, but who accepts them as a mother accepts what her son offers her.

We are forever caught in the cross of both willing and actively resisting so that the healing may take place, and as we are healed ( we do not heal ourselves), matters are resolved for those who could not believe in healing forgiveness or believe. In a word, He is our Savior. 

Churches and monasteries become as irrelevant as senates and kings and empires. We stand at the cusp of a moment when His Will can emerge from darkness and blindness. Prosperity can blossom, but not out of dictatorship, nor does it emerge from defiance and pride. When humility leads a soul to God, it is disarmed and its basic relationship to God is confirmed, and it starts to receive. We have learned both humility and gratitude so that we are positioned to receive salvation.

Whatever else we may believe, the essential need of humility and love assert themselves utterly unique to each soul. We determine that we will humble ourselves and as a result, we learn to love perfectly, and everything we do fits into His economy of peace which settles in gentle silence over us, ignites love within us ultimately consuming everything we are so instead we may share in His divinity.

Whatever we have determined must be, cedes to the Will of Him who was crucified according to His divine Will, and all destruction emerges from annihilation in such a way that all that is left is peace; all destruction becomes creation. The slate is wiped clean in a terrifying moment that silences and disposes creation, but since we knew not, neither do we see or experience aside from the presence of our God. Our very flesh becomes something different for His Will's sake and our sake as well.

O souls, my brothers and sisters, pay no attention to reality, except  to utter one "alleluia"  to join in His triumph.