Tuesday, January 24, 2012

HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Two Discussion of verse 11

http://sites.google.com/site/vid932008/

There's the website with all of it !!

Just search vid932008 on www.google.ca to see it come up first in the list.

On this site there are almost all the blog posts in an easily accessible non-linear format, as well as all the animation dating back to 2008, and most of the other artwork and poetry.

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Since I get such a kick, still, out of blathering on about this stuff, here's the continuation of the discussion of HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Two !



Verse 11

11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter Two, New International Version



Verse 11

11 On coming to the house they saw the One of their mothers' and they bowed to worship him. One opened his treasures and they received gifts of gold and fragrant flowers and perfumed soap .

from the text of the animation HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Two

written by R David Foster



Verse 11 Discussion



This is a long verse with a lot to it, so let's list what will be covered in this discussion. First of all, there is how the majestic daughters saw the One of their mothers', then how they worshiped him, and how One opened his treasures and they received the three gifts.



The One, the balance of whole and part, is the anointed one, or Christ, in our world today. It, or he, as it is referred to when apart and beyond us, lives in the communion of the people around us, as well as in each of us individually, and brings joy with his presence. So the One, is not particularly the man, but the relationship that exists between the friends, of whom the man is one. The One, the joy, is present among the friends including the man, but also has been a part of the women's lives before, which causes them to recognize it when they are with the man. Specifically, the women have experienced this joy in the presence of their parents, including their mothers, so that is why they find there, the One of their mothers. The majestic daughters are following in the path of their mothers.



The joy has been present to all of us, and we recognize it when we encounter it. We pursue it. It is the joy of the union of whole and part, and not only exists in romantic relationships, but beyond as well, to include all of existence. But romantic relationships, as a balance of whole and part, female and male, have the greatest potential for bringing the One to the world, and the joy with it.



This pursuit entails leaving behind other interests for the sake of the pursuit of the joy. We bend to the pursuit. We turn away from other interests to focus on the joy of the One. We bow and worship this anointed union of whole and part, female and male. We seek it out and accept what it offers.


Worship – what is it really ? Well, first of all, we all worship, whether we admit it or not. The question becomes, instead of why worship this or that, but rather the identification of what we already worship. What are we willing to sacrifice our sense of self and self respect to an object of worship to allow it to flourish. It has been claimed that many people worship money, and this is so, since most people will do things for pay that they would not do otherwise. Picking up garbage in the street is one example. Unless one is paid, they will not act in the community interest by picking up garbage from public places. There can be more to it then the purpose of getting money, but the fact remains that being paid will influence one to act beyond their self interest. Worship is the same, this deference of self interest to a higher interest. Nevertheless, being paid makes the service to be in the person's self interest, as the pay will serve the person's self interest when they spend it. Self interest is not the problem, but the choice of which larger purpose is in a persons self interest. This is where your worship is – the choice of a larger purpose that is in your self interest enough to allow you to defer your self interest to it.



Many people despair that the larger purpose they defer to will not redeem them, and this is what evangelists appeal to – that there is a larger purpose that will redeem one and all, and then the evangelists go on to explain this larger purpose to anyone with an ear.



Work and pay is just one example of this worshiping, amongst many others such as the success of one's children, the honour of one's parents, the honour of one's self, the power one has over others, the respect the community pays to one, and on and on.



But just as one worships the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, there are other guides in one's worship, such as a Sunday school teacher, a parent, a respected friend, a minister, a public official or perhaps a teacher. Likewise, a spouse can and should be a very prominent guide in one's worship of their God, as Christianity points to a balance of whole and part today as well as throughout history. I assert that one's spouse is above all humanity in deserving one's worship and service, and this, I believe, is in accordance with the late Pope John Paul II 's Theology of the Body.



Then One will open their treasures and the participants will receive gifts. The gifts that the Wise Men, or Magi, gave the baby Jesus had significance. Gold was for kings, frank-incense was for the sacred, and myrrh was a balm, not a bomb but a balm, for the dead. This signified the role Jesus was to play, as king, sacred to all, conquering death by dieing. This was the work Jesus had to do, beyond his role as a teacher, he had concrete things to accomplish.



Having accomplished them, Jesus sends us out on the same path, but not to die as he did, on a cross two thousand years ago, but to die to ourselves for the greater good of us as well as ourselves. Where is this greater good? I profess that an infinite understanding held by a finite individual is necessary for any greater good, and this infinite understanding can only be had by finite individuals who participate in marriage, the perfectable union of whole and part, female and male. This endeavour will require the death of oneself many times over before much may be accomplished. Yet each death will be swallowed up in the new, more infinite life that follows. The gifts of the One signify this.


The gifts of the One, from its' treasures, are gold, fragrant flowers, and perfumed soap. They signify the kingship of the balance of whole and part, female and male in the One relationship, the sacredness of such a relationship, and the cleansing of the world in just such a relationship, washing away the filth of the old world in preparation for the new life accomplished.

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Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

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