Amen.

Please hear the petitions of your lowly servants.

For Shaun M who is in desperate need of healing. May he recover his physical health and may he be strengthened in spirit to overcome his addiction. May he come to know the Mercy and Love of our Lord, Jesus Christ. May he become a soldier of Light and live a long and healthy life. May those who love him embrace him again in this life and have the Fortitude to be patient with him as he struggles. May the Lord cast out any and all demons who deign to possess him. May they flee from this adopted son of yours in the name of Jesus Christ. If he is not to recover, we beseech thee to forgive him all of his sins. Look not on his shortcomings, but as a child in the wilderness. Remember him as he was in his best days. Please, Lord, have mercy on him and on us all for our transgressions. Help this suffering soul, who is friend to many on this Pilgrim's Road. Do not fail to see his good intentions and fervent hopes and dreams. Remember his kind acts, words, and charity.

For Frank, step father of JoAnn. May he pass quickly and peacefully from this life to the Eternal Life. Lord, we ask that you bathe him in your Infinite Mercy and shield him from the Father's Justice. Lord, you promised St. Faustina that any in peril and for whom the Chaplet was intended would receive special dispensation at the hour of death. Oh Jesus, we ask with humility and hope that Frank receive your Infinite Mercy at the hour of his death. May he experience Eternal Life.

UPDATE ----------

For Jim's "cousin’s daughter, Chloe, who in three days will undergo a kidney transplant, donated by her mother. And for her mom, too, of course."

Oh, Gracious Virgin Mary, be at your child's side to comfort her and keep her. Please petition your Son, whom never refused you, to see to a successful surgery and speedy recovery. Holy Spirit, fly unto Chloe and her mother and grant them fortitude to persevere. Comfort them and keep them safe.

----------------

Help us to bear our crosses to the best of our ability as Your Will is revealed to us.

We petition thee in the name of your only begotten son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

----- from DivineMercy.org

Jesus said, “If you say this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith, (which is of course belief and trust) on behalf of some sinner I will give that soul the grace of conversion”. The prayer Jesus gave us to invite Him into the life of another, is a prayer that shows our belief and our trust in His death on the cross to bring Divine Mercy to all mankind especially sinners.

“O Blood and water that gushed forth from the heart of Jesus, as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You”. (Diary 186, 187)

--------

"Say unceasingly the Chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it, they will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy". (Diary, 687)

"It pleases me to grant everything souls ask of me by saying the chaplet. When hardened sinners say it, i will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one. Write this for the benefit of distressed souls; when a soul sees and realizes the gravity of its sins, when the whole abyss of the misery into which it immersed itself is displayed before its eyes, let it not despair, but with trust let it throw itself into the arms of my mercy, as a child into the arms of its beloved mother. Tell them no soul that has called upon My mercy has been disappointed or brought to shame. I delight particularly in a soul that has placed its trust in My goodness. Write that when they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My father and the dying person, not as the Just Judge but as the Merciful Saviour". (Diary, 1541)

"At the hour of their death, I defend every soul that will say this Chaplet as I do my own glory. When this Chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God's anger is placated and His unfathomable mercy envelops the soul". (Diary, 811)

Jesus said to Saint Faustina, "I desire that this mercy flow out upon the whole world through your heart. Let no one who approaches you go away without that trust in my mercy, which I so ardently desire for souls. Pray as much as you can for the dying. By your entreaties, obtain for them trust in my mercy, because they have most need of trust, and have it the least". (Diary, 1777)

"My daughter, help me to save a certain dying sinner. Say the Chaplet that I have taught you for him. When I began to say the Chaplet, I saw the man dying in the midst of terrible torment and struggle. His Guardian Angel was defending him, but he was, as it were, powerless against the enormity of the soul’s misery. But while I was saying the Chaplet, I saw Jesus just as He is depicted in the Image. The rays that issued from Jesus’ heart enveloped the sick man, and the powers of darkness fled in panic. The sick man peacefully breathed his last" (Diary, 1565)

-------

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

by Val Conlon

The following is the passage from the Diary where Jesus explains to St. Faustina how to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. It is important to remember that this is a truly special prayer as it was created by Jesus for us as a special element of the new Devotion to Divine Mercy. Jesus spoke these words to her in September 1935 while St. Faustina was living in her convent in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Jesus told St. Faustina, “This prayer will serve to appease My wrath. (Diary 476)

Begin with:

one Our Father

Our Father, who art in heaven hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen.

one Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

THE APOSTLE’S CREED

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into Hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.

On the Our Father Beads say the following words:

“Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world”.

On the Hail Mary Beads say the following words:

“For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world”.

In conclusion, after the five decades say three times:

“Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world”.

The Meatitudes

Blessed are the poor of possession: for theirs is the kingdom of earth.

Blessed are the relativists: for they shall possess the State.

Blessed are they who govern: for they know best.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for things: for they shall have their fill.

Blessed are the compliant: for they shall obtain preference.

Blessed are the indifferent of heart: for they shall see Ba'al.

Blessed are the interlopers: for they shall be called the children of Ba'al.

Blessed are they that suffer persecution for Ba'al's sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Ba'al.

"Obaal" - Stolen from SERR8d's Cutting Edge

Essay by Dr. Dan Collins, Sr, Naples FL

Reflecting on our current problems of governance on the birthday of our most spiritual president, Abraham Lincoln, leads me to parallels through the wisdom of history.

Locke's reflections on the Natural Law, accepted dogma since the ancient Greek philosophers, that God endowed man with unalienable rights; Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness in the Constitution.

The Confederate States considered slaves as property and were morally justified in holding their "property" as an unalienable right.

Lincoln recognized slavery as a grave moral evil that had to be removed and accepted the sacrifice of 636,036 dead soldiers as the price and reasoned that, for his part in the conflict, the proper price was his life.

The following is a paraphrase (I am blind);

We are now in a conflict to see whether this nation so destined will endure

The sacrament of the Democrat Party is abortion. To pretend to believe that the products of conception are not Human life is absurd. Cats beget cats. Dogs beget dogs, Humans beget what? When the ovum is impregnated by the sperm all other sperm are not allowed to enter, ergo the zygote knows it is complete.

Throughout the Judeo-Christian experience, history and tradition, women were enfranchised by God with the responsibility of nurturing and giving forth new life. He endowed them with an instinct that rivals and may exceed self-preservation; the Law of Moses recognized women were so involved in God's area of Creation they required bathing at the Temple.

While a king could have so many wives and concubines (eg. Solomon had 30 wives) they only had one mother who who was therefore honored as queen.

In Christian Tradition, Mary is the Mother of the God-man Jesus and visits her cousin Elizabeth as the Ark of the Covenant. Compare Elizabeth's greeting to David's celebration before the Ark.

Rejecting or ignoring all modern science - the lessons of Scripture and the Wisdom of History and of other holocausts, the infant sacrifices of Ba'al to the Twentieth Century slaughters of Nazi and Stalin and Pol Pot - this carnage of abortion will exceed any of its predecessors.

The Democrat Party has a moral position that is antithetical to America.

We are drawn into a war, truly one of survival.

Premonitory - Serr8d's Cutting Edge - 2009

It is very frustrating to have to go over this again and again and again. But I guess we have no choice.

Catholic Theology includes:

The Teachings of the Christ whilst He was hanging out here on Earth. The New Testament.

2000 years of Revelation by the holy Spirit. That is, ongoing enlightenment in God's own time to the Church vis a vis this and that. We Catholics call this Tradition.

I have written really long-winded essays on the Static nature of Truth. The ultimate Truth, of course, is God. He is Static and unchanging.

So, the Church Militant, which is the Body of Christ on Earth whose faithful are members, expresses that Truth, without regard to polls.

In terms of the HHS overreach, it matters very little that X% of "American Catholics" abide (or even agree with) the Natural Law in its fullness as expressed by the Church.

The problem, it turns out, is that people within one lifetime cannot amass the Wisdom of Christ's 2012 year old Church. The individual's perspective is woefully worthless in light of the Cumulative Wisdom (we call it the Treasury or Repository of Faith) of the world's most brilliant scholars and most holy men and women - and the enlightenment provided by the holy Spirit to the same. Not to mention personal revelation by Our Mother and the Christ Jesus Himself.

It matters not what today's faithful believe in regard to this or that portion of Truth.

Not one iota.

The Church, for Her part, is not given to pop sensibilities or polls. And the talking heads that cite polls to bolster this administration's stance that their mandate is acceptable miss the point on plenty of scores.

Not least of which is, again, the nature of Truth. Perhaps they are just Godless. Or simpletons. Or Proggs. Or all three of these things.

In any event, I am sure I will have to write about this again and again and again. It's... what's that word... nuanced.

The Church has survived persecutions and nations governed by tyranny for 2012 years. From this perspective, America is really a flash in the pan.

UPDATE

VERY RELATED - Read the whole thing! at the American Catholic.

Finally in our own way we need to educate the faithful that the Catholic Church continues to grow and strengthen as she has done every other time she has been under attack. Jesus promised us that this would be the case (Matthew 16:15-20) and so it is. Sadly the Church sometimes loses her way when times are good, because we often become a part of the world. Jesus warned us that though we must be in the world, we must never be of the world. Thankfully, because we are heeding His words the tide continues to turn!

UPDATE*2

John C Wright - quotes from Bad Catholic at Patheos

So what happened overnight? Why is the Church’s most controversial teaching something that — suddenly — can be affirmed in the secular, public sphere without fear? The teachings didn’t change — they’ve always been awesome. Our culture didn’t change — it continues to suck. No, we owe this shift in disposition to the remarkable act of placing our hands on the desk, pushing firmly down upon it while pushing firmly up with the toes, and straightening the kneecaps until the body is aligned vertically between heaven and earth.

Obama's new "revised mandate"

The revised Obama mandate will make religious groups contract with insurers to offer birth control and the potentially abortion-causing drugs to women at no cost. The revised mandate will have religious employers refer women to their insurance company for coverage that still violates their moral and religious beliefs. Under this plan, every insurance company will be obligated to provide coverage at no cost.

Citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church (which I may have to buy our pathetic Gnostic in Chief a copy of):

II. Respect for the Dignity of Persons

Respect for the souls of others: scandal

2284 Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. the person who gives scandal becomes his neighbor's tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense.

2285 Scandal takes on a particular gravity by reason of the authority of those who cause it or the weakness of those who are scandalized. It prompted our Lord to utter this curse: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."85 Scandal is grave when given by those who by nature or office are obliged to teach and educate others. Jesus reproaches the scribes and Pharisees on this account: he likens them to wolves in sheep's clothing.86

2286 Scandal can be provoked by laws or institutions, by fashion or opinion.

God is not fooled by Plausible Deniability. Nor separations of Kevin Bacon, FWIW.

What a dummy. Enlightened? Indeed.

This has been of no small amount of value in my own formation. And nowhere perhaps is this rule to be exemplified  more clearly than in the Catholic Church and Her commitment to living out Her Teachings.

A quick history of the Church established by the Christ (and one with the Christ) reveals that from its very origins the Divine Nature of the Church, as God, is one of Timelessness.

To quell the objections some may have over the reality that the Church is Christ as Christ is the Church, one must comprehend a central tenet of Catholic Theology. And the definitive source for "What we Believe" as non-Schismatic Christians is the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

II. THE CHURCH - BODY OF CHRIST

The Church is communion with Jesus

787 From the beginning, Jesus associated his disciples with his own life, revealed the mystery of the Kingdom to them, and gave them a share in his mission, joy, and sufferings.²¹⁵ Jesus spoke of a still more intimate communion between him and those who would follow him: "Abide in me, and I in you. . . . I am the vine, you are the branches."²¹⁶ And he proclaimed a mysterious and real communion between his own body and ours: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him."²¹⁷

788 When his visible presence was taken from them, Jesus did not leave his disciples orphans. He promised to remain with them until the end of time; he sent them his Spirit.²¹⁸ As a result communion with Jesus has become, in a way, more intense: "By communicating his Spirit, Christ mystically constitutes as his body those brothers of his who are called together from every nation."²¹⁹

789 The comparison of the Church with the body casts light on the intimate bond between Christ and his Church. Not only is she gathered around him; she is united in him, in his body. Three aspects of the Church as the Body of Christ are to be more specifically noted: the unity of all her members with each other as a result of their union with Christ; Christ as head of the Body; and the Church as bride of Christ.

"One Body"

790 Believers who respond to God's word and become members of Christ's Body, become intimately united with him: "In that body the life of Christ is communicated to those who believe, and who, through the sacraments, are united in a hidden and real way to Christ in his Passion and glorification."²²⁰ This is especially true of Baptism, which unites us to Christ's death and Resurrection, and the Eucharist, by which "really sharing in the body of the Lord, . . . we are taken up into communion with him and with one another."²²¹

791 The body's unity does not do away with the diversity of its members: "In the building up of Christ's Body there is engaged a diversity of members and functions. There is only one Spirit who, according to his own richness and the needs of the ministries, gives his different gifts for the welfare of the Church."²²² The unity of the Mystical Body produces and stimulates charity among the faithful: "From this it follows that if one member suffers anything, all the members suffer with him, and if one member is honored, all the members together rejoice."²²³ Finally, the unity of the Mystical Body triumphs over all human divisions: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."²²⁴

Before I get hate-comments, please note that the Body macro includes baptized schismatics, but the Body particular is the Roman Church Herself.

Borrowing from a piece entitled, Jesus and His Church are One, written by His Grace, Cardinal-Elect Timothy M Dolan, we are instructed:

It’s one of my favorite works of art: The Conversion of Saul by Caravaggio. There it is, meekly on display in the corner of the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome. Saul, the raging persecutor of the followers of Jesus, literally “knocked off his high horse” by the radiance of Jesus, the “light of the world,” transformed into a passionate apostle of Christ and His new Church, whom we now venerate as St. Paul.

And what question does Jesus bellow out to the shocked Saul?

“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

Parse that very carefully. Saul, of course, has been harassing the Church, killing the followers of Jesus.

Yet, note well: Jesus does not inquire, “Why are you persecuting my Church” or “my people” or “my followers.”

No! The Lord asks, “Why are you persecuting me?”

Get it? The Lord is saying, “You hurt my Church, you hurt me. The Church and I are one.”

A fact that we can all agree and that lends credence to these claims is the very scientific fact that the Church is the oldest LIVING organ-ization the planet has ever hosted. If one wants for a more negative proof of the same, one need only ask how long the Jews have been waiting for another Jewish Prophet to appear.

But I really digress...

The Church survives precisely because it is timeless. It is Timeless because Truth is timeless. It is at once popular and unpopular, and here embraced, and there crucified. This has everything to do with what is popular in a given place and/or a given time.

We know from art history that tastes change. Preferences change. From place to place. From era to era.

Societal sensibilities are as steam. Cultural trends as gulf currents, popular tastes like the weather.

Truth is Static. So these complaints and rebellions against Her are neither unique in time (history) nor unexpected. These are as Judas, with us from the very beginning of Church History.

The relative offense finite secularists and bigots claim Her Teachings represent to them is inconsequential. Truly.

So, when the President suggests that he will seek compromise with the Church and Her position on the new, unconstitutional overstep of the HHS, he reveals himself arrogant (old news), ignorant of Church Teaching... and, perhaps most problematic, possessing no real appreciation about the very nature of the Immortal Church - Her Stubborn Proclivities.

You can crucify the Christ, Rome... but the Christ's Body will not die. Martyrs' Blood courses through the Body, Nero.

Let the Dead bury the dead. Prudent advice. And if that confuses you... you're about to get a free lesson in nuance. This is a real, honest-to-goodness Teachable Moment. Embrace it.

Among this knowledge appears to be what is best for people like you and me.

I have oft chuckled at a White Liberals conclusions about what is best for an inner-city, low income Black. You know, those Small People. Those ignorant and helpless former-slaves.

Likewise, Liberals never tire of telling Women what is best for them. Parents what is best for their children. Blue Collar Workers what is best for them. It leaves one to conclude that they really have sussed the whole thing out. That this gnostic insight to which they and they alone can discern is "settled science".

I am one who is a real fan of opinionated people... even when they are wrong. But with this caveat: they must be willing to be intellectually-honest. I've no time for Truth-benders.

A prime example of Truth-bending would be Mr. Gingrich and the MSM purposefully distorting the spirit of Romney's comment relating to the "Poorest of the Poor". Anyone who listens to the interview in question can clearly hear what Mr. Romney intended to convey. He didn't mis-speak as much as said something that could be seized upon by his enemies. But his sentiment was not, as Newt knows full-well, as Newt has twisted it to be. I am no fan of Romney outside of the fact that I would vote for him (or practically anyone) as a no vote to Obambi. But apparently Newt need not bother with Truth. What he is concerned with is the ends he is after. The means be damned.

Progressives (Socialists, Marxists, Statists all) are precisely the same. They do not give a damn about how they attain control (which they swear with words is not the Ultimate Solution). They do not give a damn who is offended (though they are offended by anyone who challenges their secret knowledge). The worst part about their pursuit of power - their desire to impose their religion on those heretics who dare to oppose their instruction and faith - is that they will stoop to any method of achieving the secular humanist caliphate for which they long. Any who fundamentally disagree with the teaching of the Church of State - any who cannot be "reasoned with" or "see the error of their ways" must be brought into compliance by other means. And those other means, if need be and in their perfect world, will be the Law of the Land (where none must bother to convince anyone of anything whatsoever). The heathens will learn or comply... either of which achieves the end Goal of Absolute Power.

All of this these supreme truths which they advance - for which only their clerics (and incredibly sharp East Coast Libs) can understand in totality - are camouflaged most often in sentimental garb. Of course, the sentimental garb is just a means to the end. "It is what's best for women's health" after all, that the Catholic Church must compromise its Principles (after all, Catholics are very superstitious people - but they are just stupid enough to take the bait if we appeal to that Social Justice thing).

It gets a bit better listening to Members of the Church of State - such as Mika Brzezinski - defend the Unholy See's New Dogma. To see her speak on the issue reveals 3 things: 1) she is completely in over her head as it relates to the Church Militant and its Teachings, 2) she underestimates the Church's staying power (now clocking in at 2012 years), 3) she is willing to be willfully ignorant.

Dog is my co-pilot.

What this means is that she is willing to purposefully miss the point altogether. Since I don't take her as intellectually lazy, I must conclude she is intellectually dishonest. And if she is dishonest as it relates to this major issue, then is there any issue of significance that could compel her to be less than a water carrier for the Church of State?

But again, given as I am to giving people who are ignorant of Catholic Teaching the benefit of the doubt as they complain and wax on about that silly Straw Man - at once over there and then bilocationally over here at the same time - I have come to realize this is precisely the mode of "charity" that now finds the Bishops with knives in their backs.

I must stop being so charitable. Because the enemy will stop at nothing to achieve their ends.

Or, maybe, I should just take the soup from Daddy. I mean, these are wise, thoughtful and caring people who only want what's best for little ole me. You don't think these same people would ever wish me harm? Right? I mean, that's all in my head, right?

Daddy knows best. I may not agree with him. But really, he knows what's best for me.

Now, be a good Dog.

And here is the difference: speak to someone who has next to nothing as it relates to assets and worldly possessions. If they are a Conservative, they will speak convictions that have little or nothing to do with their station in life.

Liberals cannot understand a man who has nothing but the clothes on his back defending such things as smaller government and professing reductions in social services. The simple reason is that the Liberal votes with his pocketbook... what is best in his mind for his particular situation. He cannot grasp a man of tenuous economic status who promulgates limited government. It seems illogical, if not insane, to him.

Conservatives, on the other hand, seem to have an ability to support what is Good & Right, without regard for their specific personal welfare.

These are distinct worldviews. One is focused on the self. One is focused on what is objectively right and what is objectively wrong without regard to self.

There is something to this. Ironic though it may seem, perhaps, the Conservative is by definition more concerned with the General Welfare than the Liberal... whose opinion usually hinges on his calculation of what is best for himself.

I used to think it was a simple situation of Envy. But as I grow older, I see that it is Envy and Selfishness that drives the Mainline Liberal.

An example. In witnessing the recent happenings in Wisconsin, it is clear that the Liberal Unionistas and Teachers have shown us their real colors: they don't give a damn about the Children, the State of Wisconsin, or the amount of Services they can provide... they care about what is in it for them... budgets and taxes be damned.

That there are perhaps 10% of Teachers that are of the opposing point of view - who, despite what is seemingly best for them personally - are willing to concede that the State of Wisconsin cannot sustain the incredibly lush provisions they have enjoyed throughout the last 30 years - defies complete sanity in the minds of the Mainline (Liberal) Teachers.

"How can you vote against your own personal benefit?" they ask.

The Conservative replies, "How can I not?"

On Sun, Oct 11, 2009 at 1:37 PM, wrote:

All -

I am probably missing some people on this email. If you notice someone missing from it that should be included, please feel free to forward it at your discretion.

I want to first mention that of course James's passing is a big shock. A man such as James taken at such a young age (I think 40 is now the "new 30") is a real tragedy. And the fact that he leaves behind 3 kids and a young wife behind only compounds the heavy heart.

As you all know, I met James in 7th grade while attending a most awful private school. James had been expelled the year before I arrived, but eventually the Powers That Be showed some clemency. For my part, it was my first and only year there. And, as you can imagine, James and I, though if memory serves did not get along at our first meeting, eventually came to see one another as remarkably similar for being so very different from one another. Specifically in the following sense: we both hated authority.

Now, one can downplay the significance of what that means/meant. One can chalk it up to rebellion of youth. But that would be to simplify it and miss the point entirely.

If you notice the people on this list - you may see a pattern emerge. James respected most those that would not be cowed. He saw it as more than a simple personality trait. He saw it as a sign of spiritual maturity. Because the Spirit cannot be squashed unless the individual permits it to be. And because he knew very well that what we all really desire most in this life is something that is in very short supply: namely, as a friend of mine reminded me this morning, Peace.

In James's view of the mechanics of the cosmos, and more specifically, the actuality of the Human Person, we souls chose to be manifest on this plane of existence. And, in his view, we souls chose to enter into this awful physical realm in order to have an opportunity to break free of this physical and metaphysical plane. In his view, what we can observe with our limited senses (the 5 senses we learn about in school), we are given to certain perceptions about the cosmos that are absolutely illusory.

For him, existing as both physical and spiritual being was a bummer. In his view the physical was nothing but a cell within which the soul was imprisoned. This does NOT mean he didn't enjoy his existence here. He took pleasure in all of the little and big miracles of this life experience - just like the rest of us. But he DID believe that his mission here on earth was to evolve in such a way as to be permitted to escape the confines of the physical. Yes - he believed in reincarnation. And, no, he was not real eager to spend more lifetimes in what he saw as the great wheel than he had to. So, for him, it made sense that he needed to spend as much time working on the Spiritual aspect of self as was possible.

James did not believe that the Spirit could/would end up in hell - as we typically envision it. But he DID believe in a Creator God. He was NOT a polytheist. But he also did NOT believe that he had found one religious tradition that adequately represented God Creator. In this sense he was very much Buddhist: once we try to describe the Cosmic Oneness (God), we are further from understanding the actuality of God that before we set out to explain God. This does NOT mean he thought we could not sharpen our insights about what/who/why/how of the Creator God and Creator God's Creation - the Cosmos. Far from it: he spent his life trying to peek behind the curtain, so sure was he that there were glimpses of the Divine to be discerned.

It is important for me to communicate this to you. For a couple of reasons.

1) James has either broken free of this plane or not - if you tend to agree with his view of the Cosmos.
2) If you see the Cosmos through the prism of Christianity, on the other hand, I am encouraged that James has met his reward. He really did believe that the Christ was a Bridge. He really did believe that if you walked the path of Christ, you would find God. What he disagreed with was what he saw as the bastardization of the Christ Story - the manipulation of it throughout history for political gain. If you know me at all, you would see this as a major divergence in belief between James and myself. And there were plenty of these.
3) If you do not believe in existence after death - then James is gone. Both physically and Spiritually. And none of this matters. For you, I would suggest that you reconsider.
4) James LOVED to talk about the Cosmos - all of it - and the economy of souls! He loved it because for him nothing raised to the same level of worthiness - he was always ready to share his ideas with others and to hear theirs. To exchange insights.

So, this is his gift to you and very much to me.

Always ask questions
Ask follow-up questions
Read, study
Contemplate
Pray
Meditate
Introspect
Visualize
Realize

REBEL - DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT THE THEM TELL YOU - DO NOT BELIEVE THE SLOGANS - DO NOT BELIEVE THE CHOICES YOU ARE PRESENTED WITH - ALWAYS ASSUME THERE IS MORE THAN YOU ARE SENSING - NEVER, EVER CAPITULATE OR ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE INTIMIDATED. FIGHT LIKE A MOTHER FUCKER.

MANIFEST the person - SPIRIT - you are called to be.

The rest, James would tell you - the physical, material - is, was, and ever will be "complete fucking bullshit." - A distraction.

And most of all - he would implore you, in a war-like manner, to LOVE and PEACE of your fellow... to the best of your ability.

Please join me in a song of prayer for his rapid passage and celebration of the wonderful soul we, his beloved friends, had the gift of knowing.

Ill let you know when plans are ironed out.