Daniel P. McLaughlin's Posts - The Wild Geese2024-03-28T20:30:13ZDaniel P. McLaughlinhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/DanielPMcLaughlinhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/325708575?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blog/feed?user=3ave3ggh1ja3o&xn_auth=no'Our Communion': A Poemtag:thewildgeese.irish,2024-03-28:6442157:BlogPost:3085482024-03-28T18:30:00.000ZDaniel P. McLaughlinhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/DanielPMcLaughlin
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<p><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">T</span>o bear His heir, perfection</strong><br></br> No stain or fault, detection<br></br> This House of David's promised place<br></br> Her conception <em>full of grace</em><br></br> Original sin, suspended<br></br> Eden's triumph, upended<br></br> <em>I AM</em>'s ark of flesh and blood. </p>
<p>Whose prophecy withstood<br></br> Herod's…</p>
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<p><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">T</span>o bear His heir, perfection</strong><br/> No stain or fault, detection<br/> This House of David's promised place<br/> Her conception <em>full of grace</em><br/> Original sin, suspended<br/> Eden's triumph, upended<br/> <em>I AM</em>'s ark of flesh and blood. </p>
<p>Whose prophecy withstood<br/> Herod's jealous sword<br/> Flesh of your flesh, bone of your bone, blood of your blood<br/> He who is LORD<br/> Tabernacle to the great <em>I AM</em><br/> Tabernacle to <em>I AM</em>'s only begotten Son<br/> Where flesh, bone, blood and Spirit are perfect, <em>one</em>.</p>
<p>And man, unbelieving, believing, unbelieving, true<br/> Oh, woman, thy Son is sun, thy sky is you<br/> What Gabriel's <em>Hail</em> can tell?<br/> Thy Son rose and set -- and rose again -- in Mary's mantle<br/> Gentle, loving, gracious -- seven sorrows fall<br/> Beseech Thee, we, hear Thy Son's call<br/> Beseech Thee, holy Mother of us all.<br/> <strong>-- Daniel P. McLaughlin</strong> <strong>(March 14, 2024)</strong></p>Detective Steven McDonald: Earth Angel to the Americastag:thewildgeese.irish,2023-12-11:6442157:BlogPost:3081012023-12-11T04:30:00.000ZDaniel P. McLaughlinhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/DanielPMcLaughlin
<p><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313626085?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313626085?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400"></img></a> T</span>he tragic and triumphant life of a New York City police officer’</strong><span><strong>s spiritual journey</strong> continues to impact citizens of a city, state, nation, continent and yes, the world. This extraordinary life makes a compelling case for, if not (just yet) sainthood, then of a prophetic…</span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313626085?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313626085?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-right"/></a>T</span>he tragic and triumphant life of a New York City police officer’</strong><span><strong>s spiritual journey</strong> continues to impact citizens of a city, state, nation, continent and yes, the world. This extraordinary life makes a compelling case for, if not (just yet) sainthood, then of a prophetic</span> <span>“angel</span><span>-hood</span><span>”</span> <span>of the man we know as Detective Steven McDonald,</span> <span>“</span><span>the forgiveness guy.</span><span>” McDonald’s life story embodies that of</span> <i><span>everyman</span></i> <span>-- a</span> <span>native of suburban Malverne, Long Island, a former U.S. Navy hospital corpsman and third-generation officer in the New York City Police Department. So then, let us together explore the uncanny, yet unavoidable, intersecting circumstances leading us to recognize our, impeccably timed, modern-day Earth Angel to the</span> <span>Americas<em>.</em></span><em> </em></p>
<p><em>In photo above, President George W. Bush speaks with NYPD Officer Steve McDonald in the Blue Room on April 10, 2002. White House photo by Tina Hager</em></p>
<p><span>A Rockville Centre (N.Y.) prayer group bears his name, led by local resident Kevin Conlon and Patty McDonald,</span><span> </span><span>Steven</span><span>’</span><span>s widow. The humble group of 90+ individuals, including myself, meets monthly, having an offi</span><span>cial</span><span> </span><span>meeting agenda of one rosary and one speaker and an unofficial after-meeting agenda of drinks, etc., at a local tavern. Meetings are typically held the last Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m.,</span><span> </span><span>lasting from 1 to 1.5 hours. Special events, praying the rosary at Steven</span><span>’</span><span>s grave, marching as a group in New York’s famed St. Patrick</span><span>’</span><span>s Day Parade, and participating in the 9-11 Memorial Walk bring us together beyond meetings.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>New York Rangers ice hockey fans may also be familiar with the annual award ceremony:</span> <span>“</span><span>Steven</span><span> </span><span>McDonald Extra Effort Award.</span><span>”</span> <span>Ryan Lindgren received this in April for the</span> <span>’22-’</span><span>23 season. In addition, the</span><span> </span><span>prayer group has recently expanded to the Maria Regina parish in Seaford, also on Long Island. The</span><span> </span><span>group</span><span>’</span><span>s purpose is twofold: Perpetuate the life-lesson of forgiveness and memory of McDonald</span><span> </span><span>and, second, become a prayerful resource of miraculous healing that will, one day, compel the Church to</span><span> </span><span>advocate, beatify and eventually proclaim McDonald a saint. We have realized the</span><span> </span><span>former, and we are supremely confident the latter will come in the Good Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s time.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>In a March 2022 meeting, one of the speakers suggested McDonald</span><span>’</span><span>s life exemplified the perfect</span><span> </span><span>adoption of the line in the Lord</span><span>’s Prayer: “</span><span>Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass</span><span> </span><span>against us.</span><span>”</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Many of us, the author included, have said,</span> <span>“</span><span>It would be impossible, I could never forgive such a grave</span><span> </span><span>offense . . .</span> <span>”</span> <span>And, of course, this is accurate for Steven, as well, until, with the help of God, this did, in</span><span> </span><span>fact, happen. Matthew 19:26:</span> <span>“</span><span>Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God</span><span> </span><span>all things are possible.’ “</span> <span>Evidence, no doubt, of the heaven-sent grace that made possible Steven McDonald</span><span>’s</span> <span>forgiveness mission on earth.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>In fact, Steven’s life lesson of forgiveness is without question a magnified moment of a specific part of the Lord’s Prayer. So let us review this prayer in detail and in context. In doing so, we can see clearly how Jesus’ teaching forms a template for Steven’s submission to His will, as found in the Lord’s Prayer.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Here’s the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer taken from Matthew 6:9-13 (The Catholic Press, Inc. 1961 Bible):</span> <span>“In</span><span> </span><span>this manner therefore shall you pray:</span><span>”</span><span> </span></p>
<p><b><span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313629266?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313629266?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left"/></a></span></b></p>
<p><b><span>“</span></b><b><span>Our Father</span></b><b><span>”</span></b> <span>-- Perhaps the most powerful two words in all Christianity because they set forth the</span><span> </span><span>irrevocable relationship between God Almighty and mankind as paternal, making ALL mankind siblings,</span><span> </span><span>brothers and sisters ALL to one another before Him,</span> <span>“</span><span>Our Father,</span><span>”</span> <span>meaning, when we open our eyes in</span><span> </span><span>the morning and shut them before sleep, we know because of these two words each and every person</span><span> </span><span>we encounter are to be viewed, looked at and treated as our sibling, before the Lord God, our common</span><span> </span><span>Creator, our Father. How neatly does this language fit in America</span><span>’</span><span>s Constitution? Should we surmise as</span><span> </span><span>Americans, our forefathers meant to reference</span> <span>“</span><span>our Creator</span><span>”</span> <span>for this very purpose? It sure seems so.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>When you hear</span> <span>“</span><span>Our Father</span><span>”</span> <span>imagine the</span> <span>“O”</span> <span>is the earth as viewed from space and every human life form on it, our sisters and brothers.</span></p>
<p><em>Photo above: Lord's Prayer from the 1845 illuminated book of The Sermon on the Mount, designed by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Jones_(architect)" title="Owen Jones (architect)">Owen Jones</a>. Wikimedia Commons</em></p>
<p><b><span>“</span></b><b><span>Who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.</span></b><b><span>”</span></b> <span>-- God is so great, earth cannot hold Him, for he is beyond all the earth. God is cosmic -- as is His Son for both existed before time, an invention of man</span><span>’</span><span>s. And God</span><span>’s</span> <span>name is holy, requiring the ultimate reverence from mankind because as mankind looks around and surveys his / her surrounding he / she realizes one thing; we made none of the universe we inhabit, it has all been created well before us and totally without us, therefore make holy the name of our Creator for we are dust, we are nothing without Him.</span></p>
<p><b><span>“</span></b><b><span>Thy kingdom come</span></b><b><span>”</span></b> <span>-- God wants heaven, His kingdom, to come to mankind. God wants to share</span><span> </span><span>paradise with mankind -- an incredible invitation! We learn more with the next sentence.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><b><span>“</span></b><b><span>Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.</span></b><b><span>”</span></b> <span>-- With reflective prayer, a</span> <span>“</span><span>faith imagination</span><span>”</span> <span>and help</span><span> </span><span>from the Holy Spirit in reading the Gospel, we recognize it is precisely God</span><span>’</span><span>s will that lovingly takes place</span><span> </span><span>…</span> <span>between our ears. That is, our very thoughts are centered on doing His heavenly will as we are here on earth. Think not as this line being something outside us like a temple, church, cathedral, city or nation for</span><span> </span><span>none of these, by themselves, are places that commit sin without first occupying mankind within them.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Will God ask you before the pearly gates,</span> <span>“</span><span>What did you do to help America, Israel or Paris?</span><span>” or</span><span> </span><span>rather,</span> <span>“</span><span>Did you love? Show me how.</span><span>”</span> <span>So, when reciting these words of the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer, think,</span> <span>“</span><span>Is His will being carried out by me, in my thoughts, in my deeds, here on earth?</span><span>”</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>All the above lines from our Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer explicitly (overtly) reference the Father, our Creator, the great</span> <span>“I AM,”</span> <span>Yahweh. We see the time of creation, the Almighty’s participation in human history and the prophets as the first order of time, the Lord God</span><span>’s</span> <span>time.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>The next line of the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer is explicitly Jesus Christ</span><span>’</span><span>s, the second person of the blessed Trinity:</span><span> </span></p>
<p><b><span>“</span></b><b><span>Give us this day our daily bread.</span></b><b><span>”</span></b> <span>-- An astounding, sublime reference to the Father</span><span>’</span><span>s only begotten</span><span> </span><span>Son, Jesus who subtly references the</span> <span>“</span><span>new and eternal covenant</span><span>”</span> <span>and his words in John 6:35 (</span><span>“</span><span>I am the</span><span> </span><span>bread of life.</span><span>”</span><span>) perfectly confirm this meaning:</span> <span>“</span><span>I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go</span><span> </span><span>hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.</span><span>”</span> <span>Jesus, Himself, is our daily bread. Do not</span><span> </span><span>confuse Jesus</span><span>’</span><span>s bread with the bread of the world or earning a living. While these are surely good things, they are not and can never be</span> <span>“</span><span>the thing</span><span>”</span> <span>Jesus came here for, namely, to forgive sins, heal the sick, have mankind do His Father</span><span>’</span><span>s will on earth and conquer death. Jesus did not come to get us a job -- and He</span><span> </span><span>puts this in perspective for us, not ignoring the (secondary) importance of earning a living. See passage</span><span> </span><span>Matthew 6:31-33:</span> <span>“</span><span>So do not worry saying,</span> <span>‘</span><span>What shall we eat?</span><span>’ or ‘</span><span>What shall we drink?</span><span>’ or ‘</span><span>What shall</span><span> </span><span>we wear?</span><span>’</span> <span>For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added you as well.</span><span>”</span><span> </span></p>
<p><em>Photo right is of an early third century depiction of Eucharistic bread and fish, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Callisto" title="San Callisto">Catacomb of San Callisto</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome" title="Rome">Rome</a>. Wikimedia Commons.</em></p>
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<p><span>Let Jesus, the bread of life, be our first thought, our first priority, and the God of creation will make sure all the other things we need shall come to you as well, afterward. How perfectly humble, meek and prophetically</span> <span>“silent”</span> <span>is this line of the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer referring to Jesus.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Referencing the above, we see the time of the Word made flesh that dwelt among us on earth as the second order of time, the, very brief, Lord Jesus Christ</span><span>’</span><span>s time.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>“</span><b><span>And forgive us our debts; as we also forgive our debtors.</span></b> <span>”</span> <span>(Matthew 6:12) So how do we reconcile</span><span> </span><span>this line in the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer with:</span> <span>“</span><span>God alone forgives sins</span><span>”</span><span>? (The answer is simpler than you might</span><span> </span><span>suspect for it comes from our being created in God</span><span>’</span><span>s image and likeness.) In this manner, man and</span><span> </span><span>woman alike are able to forgive those sins committed against them respectively, that is, those sins</span><span> </span><span>specific to us, the created, are forgivable because we share God</span><span>’</span><span>s image and likeness. Jesus conveyed</span><span> </span><span>the forgiveness of sins to His apostolic church, creating and instituting the sacrament of penance. And</span><span> </span><span>further, per the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer, Jesus compels us to individually forgive others that He would forgive us our own trespasses. Here is the very line and thought in the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer that Steve McDonald, with the good Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s grace, lived, prayed, acted, personified and professed to multitudes until his passing. The same grace comes to all saved souls, the grace our Blessed Mother received at conception (</span><span>“</span><span>I am the Immaculate Conception.</span><span>”</span><span>) * Amazingly recognized by the Archangel Gabriel, this grace was Elijah</span><span>’s</span><span> </span><span>“</span><span>whispering wind</span><span>” or “</span><span>small voice</span><span>”</span> <span>(1 Kings 19:12) that filled the sails of this former</span> <span>Navy man’</span><span>s boat.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><b><span>“</span></b><b><span>And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.</span></b><b><span>”</span></b> <span>The Holy Spirit</span><span>’</span><span>s protection.</span> <span>“</span><span>It is better</span><span> </span><span>for you that I go.</span><span>”</span> <span>Jesus at the Ascension. Let us not second guess the Son of Man</span><span>’</span><span>s words here. Who,</span><span> </span><span>but the Holy Spirit, breathing the will of the Father and the Son into our lungs, shall lead us not into</span><span> </span><span>temptation and deliver us from evil!</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313632870?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313632870?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left"/></a>These last two lines of the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer, the time of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate</span><span>’</span><span>s time, are the third order of time, the time following Christ</span><span>’</span><span>s Ascension, the descent of the Holy Spirit and</span> <span>our time now</span> <span>**.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><b><span>Matthew 6: 9-13 –</span></b> <span>Above,</span> <span>The Lord’s Prayer.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><b><span>Matthew 6: 14-15</span></b> <span>-- At the conclusion of the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer, Jesus revisits the penultimate line, Matthew</span><span> </span><span>6:12, (“</span><span>And forgive us our debts; as we also forgive our debtors.</span><span>”) of</span><span>fering additional guidance on the</span><span> </span><span>meaning this particular part of the prayer has for our own forgiveness:</span> <b><span>“</span></b><b><span>For if you forgive men their</span></b><span> </span><b><span>offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you your offenses. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offenses.</span></b><b><span>”</span></b> <span>Our time now, the time of the Advocate, requires forgiveness for our salvation. This extra explanation and emphasis to the Lord</span><span>’</span><span>s Prayer by Jesus is why Steve</span> <span>McDonald’</span><span>s life</span><span>’</span><span>s messages are so profound today. Is it, in fact, possible the McDonald-Jones angel has been embedded in Our Lady of Guadalupe to be deciphered and hence open the door for a rebirth of America -- and the world?</span><span> </span></p>
<p><em>Above: Jesus' ascension to Heaven depicted by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Singleton_Copley" title="John Singleton Copley">John Singleton Copley</a> in Ascension (1775). Wikimedia Commons.</em></p>
<p><span>*St. Maximilian Kolbe - “</span><span>Mary is the created Immaculate Conception and the Holy Spirit is the uncreated</span><span> </span><span>Immaculate Conception.</span><span>”</span> <span>See Lourdes, St. Bernadette, Blessed Mary,</span> <span>“</span><span>I am the Immaculate Conception.</span><span>”</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>** “</span><span>But I speak the truth to you; it is expedient for you that I depart. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not</span><span> </span><span>come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.</span><span>” (John 16:7)</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313636070?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313636070?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left"/></a></span></p>
<p><span>We briefly turn our focus to the miraculous appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, on December 12th, 1531, to an Aztec peasant, Juan Diego. The Blessed Mother came to a foothill just outside Mexico City</span> <span>as a</span> <span>divine and cosmic evangelical, leaving a painting or divinely made</span> <span>“</span><span>calling card</span><span>”</span> <span>imprinted on Juan Diego’s shirt, known as a “tilma") to compel the local bishop (</span><span>Juan de Zumárraga</span><span>, from Spain) to build a chapel at a designated</span> <span>site in her son Jesus</span><span>’</span> <span>name in an effort to help with revealing Himself and converting pagan Aztecs to His Church</span><span>.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><em>Right, a painting depicting Juan Diego by 18th century artist Miguel Cabrera. Wikimedia Commons</em></p>
<p><span>While there are many miracles and scientifically unexplained facts associated with Juan Diego</span><span>’</span><span>s tilma (</span><span>shirt made of</span> <span>coarse</span> <span>cactus fiber)</span> <span>let us recognize several highlighted miracles and how Steven McDonald may very well be part of an ongoing revelation and timely message to us now</span><span>: </span></p>
<p>* Fabric’s condition -- scientifically unexplained. The fabric, now 492 years old, should have naturally disintegrated 450 years ago though it, supernaturally, remains in pristine condition today. </p>
<p>* Painting lacks under-sketching -- artistically unexplained. Unheard of for any man-made painting before, during or after this era. </p>
<p>* Mass conversion -- Sociologically unexplained. 9 million Aztecs converted to Catholicism over eight years because of the impact of the tilma’s resonating hieroglyphics. (This followed 10 prior years of anemic, stubborn, lackluster conversion of the Aztecs by the conquering Spaniard missionaries.) </p>
<p>* Reflections in the eyes of Our Lady of Guadalupe -- Scientifically and artistically unexplained. Discovered in the 20th century, the image presents what ophthalmologists refer to as the “Purkyne-Sanson effect.” This “recent” revelation opened the door to contemplate additional messages today. </p>
<p>* The angel beneath the Blessed Mother, bearing certain earthly attributes, is holding the bottom of Mary’s star-imprinted cloak in the angel's right hand, while the angel’s left hand holds the bottom of the flower-imprinted dress.</p>
<p><em>Below, image of Our Lady of Guadalupe as shown on the mantle (tilma) of Juan Diego. </em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313639680?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12313639680?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="350" class="align-right"/></a>It is this angel, largely ignored, that has now compelled the author to make the case for Steven</em><span> </span><span>McDonald’</span><span>s angelic representation here. The tilma, it seems, still speaks to its faithful, and now,</span><span> </span><span>symbolically, speaks to America -- and the world. The time has come today to discern the symbolism of</span><span> </span><span>the</span> <span>“</span><span>Perfect Virgin: Our Lady of Guadalupe</span><span>”</span> <span>and the tilma</span><span>’</span><span>s message to America given by an Irish-</span><span>American New York City cop in service to the Lord. To that end, follow along:</span><span> </span></p>
<p>A List of “Angel Assertions” Discernible in the Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe: </p>
<p>1. Red, white and blue angel’s wings are overtly American.</p>
<p>2. Angel shows no legs, nothing below the waist symbolizes, partially, Steve McDonald’s paralysis.</p>
<p>3. Tilma’s seam avoids Our Lady of Guadalupe’s face and hands, but passes through the angel’s head, symbolizing DMS’s head injury from the Central Park shooting, on July 12, 1986. </p>
<p>4. Receding hairline of the angel, that of a middle-aged man.</p>
<p>5. Face of angel and cleft chin -- similar in shape to Steven McDonald’s.</p>
<p>6. Hair of angel -- black and curly -- represents the forgiven shooter, Shavod Jones.</p>
<p>7. Combined -- The angel represents the forgiver and the forgiven and is an amalgam of Steven McDonald and Shavod Jones, together, who Steven has stated in his own words, “We have helped many people, the two of us.” </p>
<p>8. Angel’s right hand (left side of tilma) is on the Blue (Sea) and Gold (Navy) portion of the tilma, that is, the Our Lady of Guadalupe cloak -- the colors represent the ocean (sea) (for U.S. Navy) and the Blue has stars, which ships use for navigation at night.</p>
<p>9. Angel’s left hand (right side of tilma), on the Red-Brown (Land) and Gold (NYPD) portion of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s dress, depicts Steven McDonald’s work on land -- a beat cop working in New York City’s Central Park.</p>
<p>10. Note the tilma’s seam and the angel’s head are on the Land / NYPD side of the cloak - as Steven’s injury occurred while serving as a police officer. As Americans read from left to right, we read “Navy” then “NYPD” on the angel’s hands in keeping with the chronology of Steven’s professional life. </p>
<p>11. The angel has a badge or large button on the collar. What angel would need such an item? Is it for predetermined earthly origins, speaking to us today? Buttoned uniforms are used in both the Navy and NYPD. </p>
<p>12. A black crescent moon beneath Our Lady of Guadalupe’s feet is just above the angel’s head. The evening of DSM’s shooting, July 12th, 1986, the moon’s phase was a perfect waxing crescent.</p>
<p>13. Our Lady of Guadalupe asked to “build a chapel” -- Steven McDonald preferred chapels for prayer.</p>
<p>14. Steven McDonald dies at 59 years old. The rosary has 59 beads. The confounding number and nature of rosary beads now makes perfect sense for this generation and generations to come.</p>
<p><span>If taken in the context of the grace that was Steven</span><span>’</span><span>s life and his use of the rosary, our Blessed Mother</span><span>’s</span><span> </span><span>obedience to the Lord God, Lord Jesus and Lord Holy Spirit work in our lives for the</span><span> </span><span>forgiveness of sins, healing the sick and conquering death -- Jesus</span><span>’</span><span>s raison d</span><span>’</span><span>etre (divine purpose).</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>An article dated July 23, 2021, written by David Gordon, is titled</span> <span>“</span><span>The Redemption of Chess Legend Bobby</span><span> </span><span>Fischer.” Gordon</span><span> acknowledges Fischer</span><span>’</span><span>s age of 64 years as a</span> <span>“god</span><span>-</span><span>wink</span><span>”</span> <span>when he died --</span> <span>“a</span><span> </span><span>year for every square on the chessboard.”</span> <span>Has Steven’</span><span>s time of 59 years on earth been a heaven-</span><span>sent</span> <span>“god</span><span>-</span><span>wink</span><span>” for us to recognize and consider living a prayerful life of forgiveness that includes</span><span> </span><span>the rosary? See also Squire Rushnell</span><span>’s, “</span><span>When God Winks at You.</span><span>” 59</span> <span>years, 59 beads.</span><span> </span></p>
<p>15. Angel’s gold wrist bands -- The uniforms of the Navy have gold wrist-piping and NYPD formal uniforms include gold buttons and gold-bordered patches. The angel’s hands touch the gold piping to both Our Lady of Guadalupe’s cloak and dress. </p>
<p>16. The angel’s red shirt -- The color represents that of the sacred heart of Jesus of His body and His blood in the Eucharist. Seeing how the color runs dark red at the shirt’s bottom and lightens to approach white at the tops of the arms and shoulders, might this be an apocalyptic reference to Revelation 7:13-14, those who wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb?</p>
<p>17. The child-papoose -- The form at the bottom of Our Lady of Guadalupe is that of an infant face down in the crescent moon. Might this be a symbol of modern-day child sacrifice of abortion up to the moment of birth in the Americas? Steven McDonald was a pro-life advocate.</p>
<p>18. Symbols yet unseen. Likely, there are more symbols yet to be discovered as history has proven, study discerns, and more information becomes available. </p>
<p><b><span>T</span></b><b><span>hree</span></b> <b><span>Angelic Takeaways:</span></b> <span> </span><span> </span></p>
<p>1. In Jesus’s name, forgive others who have trespassed against you,</p>
<p>2. Stay close to the Gospel and the sacraments and</p>
<p>3. Pray the rosary. These are the legacies of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Angel as revealed by Detective Steven McDonald and Shavod Jones, the forgiver and the forgiven, respectively.</p>
<p><b><span>Reflections and the Road to Sainthood:</span></b><span> </span></p>
<p><span>I have a personal experience with Our Lady of Guadalupe’s influence, leading to my membership in the Detective Steven McDonald Prayer Group. These have helped me to see, with destined</span><span> </span><span>eyes, the timely message our Blessed Mother has sent us all -- at none too soon a time in our nation</span><span>’s</span><span> </span><span>history. </span></p>
<p><span>We reflect on the relevant Gospel words,</span> <span>“</span><span>Now is the time.</span><span>”</span> <span>(2 Corinthians 6:2) for now is the time</span><span> </span><span>to forgive and now is the time to live, to live life to the full (John 10:10).</span><span> </span></p>
<p><b><span>Author’s Note:</span></b> <span> </span></p>
<p><span>Pareidolia is defined as t</span><span>he tendency for perception to impose a meaningful interpretation on a nebulous stimuli, usually visual, so that one sees objects, patterns or meaning where there is none. Common examples are perceived images of animals, faces or objects in cloud formations, seeing faces in inanimate objects, or</span> <span>lunar pareidolia like</span> <span>“the Man in the Moon”. While seeing the potential of single observances to lend themselves to subjective inference, taken together a compelling case crystalizes when interpreting the Our Lady of Guadalupe</span><span>’</span><span>s angel with the lives of Steven McDonald and Shavod Jones. Further, the tilma itself falls outside the definition of</span> <span>“pareidolia”</span> <span>as the specific symbols are anything but</span> <span>“</span><span>nebulous stimuli.</span><span>”</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>The Catholic Church rightly imposes stringent standards and strict reviews when confirming at least two</span><span> </span><span>miracles attributed to the intercession of any Servant of God before canonization. Given Detective Steven McDonald</span> <span>and Shaved Jones’s</span> <span>prophetic</span> <span>symbolism in the Our Lady of Guadalupe</span><span>’</span><span>s tilma and the Holy Spirit</span><span>’</span><span>s abundant blessings, my guess is the Church will soon be reviewing anywhere between 2 and 200,000 such miracles.</span> <b><span>DMcL</span></b><span> </span></p>
<p><b><span>Related Resources:</span></b><span> </span></p>
<p><span>* Freed Shooter of Policeman Dies in Crash (</span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/11/nyregion/freed-shooter-of-policeman-dies-in-crash.html"><span>New York Times, Sep. 11, 1995</span></a><span>)</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span>* Juan de Zumárraga (</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_de_Zum%C3%A1rraga"><span>Wikipedia</span></a><span>)</span><span> </span></p>Detective Steven McDonald and the Lord's Prayertag:thewildgeese.irish,2022-04-07:6442157:BlogPost:3008382022-04-07T17:30:00.000ZDaniel P. McLaughlinhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/DanielPMcLaughlin
<div class="xg_column xg_span-16" id="column1"><div class="xj_canvas" id="xg_canvas"><div class="xg_module xg_blog xg_blog_detail xg_blog_mypage xg_module_with_dialog"><div class="xg_module_body"><div class="postbody"><div class="xg_user_generated"><p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10280385688?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-left" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10280385688?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a> <em>In the first of a 3 part speech given March 24 before the Detective Steven McDonald Men's Prayer Group in…</em></p>
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<div class="xg_column xg_span-16" id="column1"><div id="xg_canvas" class="xj_canvas"><div class="xg_module xg_blog xg_blog_detail xg_blog_mypage xg_module_with_dialog"><div class="xg_module_body"><div class="postbody"><div class="xg_user_generated"><p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10280385688?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10280385688?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-left"/></a><em>In the first of a 3 part speech given March 24 before the Detective Steven McDonald Men's Prayer Group in Rockville Centre, Long Island, yours truly shared some "Irish insight" to this candidate for sainthood:</em></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">P</span>raise the Lord in all His glory.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Thank you Kevin Conlin</strong> and the members of <strong>Detective Steven McDonald Men’s Prayer Group</strong> for the opportunity to “pinch hit” as speaker for this month’s meeting. What an invigorating event it was to march with our group and their families and friends on St. Patrick’s Day in NYC! It seemed the city has been waiting two years for this parade to herald the beginning of our return to the “normal” we have known and loved all these years -- and the crowd’s enthusiasm was overwhelming and cathartic.</p>
<p>During the march, Kevin invited me to speak, no particular topic named, and that my only prerequisite was to not be funnier than himself! And as daunting a task as that sounds, I promise to really put the brakes on the humor pedal tonight to not offend anyone in particular. (Wink, ha.)</p>
<p>In 2014, my son Frankie and niece Lizzy Phillips had the honor and great experience of meeting Steven at St. Anne’s Church in Garden City during their Confirmation program, a moment pictured above. It was a memorable moment to be sure and perhaps helped Frankie determine to give Chaminade a try. He graduated from there two years ago.</p>
<p>Fast forward five years to 2019 after “a series of unfortunate events” by yours truly, we (Patty and I) landed in a cabana at Atlantic Beach’s “Sun and Surf” Beach Club, where I met Kevin and his family BBQ grilling steaks, etc. on “G-Block”, the area behind our cabanas. Having learned from Kevin in more detail of Steven’s triumphant charity in bringing his compassion to share with others the spirit of forgiveness, two things became apparent to me: One, Steven lived his life in accordance with the fourth line of our Lord’s Prayer, “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” because he accepted and did not resist the subtle gift and blessed influence of the Holy Spirit in his life as promised to us by God’s only begotten son, Jesus Christ.</p>
<p>And second, what a terrible joke-teller Kevin is. (Ha.) No, only kidding. The second is, without doubt, bearing witness to the Holy Spirit’s impact on their friendship -- it’s as if watching, in slow motion, a glorious sunrise or the first fallen snow of winter to see the legacy of Steven and Kevin’s friendship transcend both separation and time only to become stronger as both their families grow. It is truly a blessing to behold and one we share together.</p>
<p>The enthusiastic advancement towards Steven’s sainthood presents to me a clear case of an early decision by virtue of “special dispensation” of his first official miracle. Let me explain. Detective Steven McDonald (is) a great American of Irish descent, whereby it is common knowledge among the Irish and non-Irish alike that an Irishman holds a grudge tighter and longer than a beer-mug handle at a soccer game or a mother with her newborn. So when an Irishman’s legacy and name become synonymous with perhaps the most difficult of all practiced virtues (self-justice through the forgiveness of others), yet one our mortal soul finds necessary for eternal life, we can only surmise this “forgiveness” is, in and of itself, a miracle.</p>
<p>So let’s keep this in mind as we move unabated to the goal of Steven’s sainthood, that when the good day comes and the Church officially recognizes Steven’s two miracles, we Irish can nod in quiet confidence, saying to ourselves: “That makes three!”</p>
<p>The Lamb of God is returning as the Lion of Judah. Are ye prepared? <strong>DMcL</strong></p>
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<div class="xg_column xg_span-5 xg_last" id="column2"></div>Exploring the Circumstances of Good Friday's Holocausttag:thewildgeese.irish,2022-03-28:6442157:BlogPost:2465042022-03-28T14:30:00.000ZDaniel P. McLaughlinhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/DanielPMcLaughlin
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4376859935?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4376859935?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a> P</span>raise</strong> <strong>to the Lord in all His glory.</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;"><span>(Note: This was originally posted April 9th, 2020) </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">Last week,…</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4376859935?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4376859935?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a>P</span>raise</strong> <strong>to the Lord in all His glory.</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;"><span>(Note: This was originally posted April 9th, 2020) </span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">Last week, owing to the confluence of three events -- a massive head cold (no fever), our COVID-19 pandemic quarantine and the Lenten season -- I determined to watch a Netflix spiritual documentary, “Jesus: Countdown to Calvary,” a 53-minute 2018 video, directed by Gerry Hoban and starring Hugh Bonneville, the "Downton Abbey" star, as narrator and interviewer. The documentary focuses on the last week of Jesus’ life, exploring some of the actual biblical locations while attempting to recreate the military, political, religious and national dynamics along with the healing, itinerant preacher’s influence over the Jewish nation and Roman Empire.</span></p>
<p><span><em>Above, illustration by <a href="https://www.slam.org/collection/objects/34181/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Giambattista Tiepolo | Saint Louis Art Museum | Public Domain</a>.</em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">The documentary does an adequate, if not commendable, job conveying how the divergent and, at most times, opposing entities of Roman Governor Pontius Pilate, Jewish high priest Joseph ben Caiaphas, and the huge influx of people that flocked to Jerusalem during Passover all converge to find an explicit mutual interest for Jesus’ death. Intent on preserving the status quo for both the Jewish temple’s hierarchy and local Roman rule, these twin "powers that be" were able to leverage the combined population of resident Jews and visiting worshipers to carry out and fulfill the prophecy of messianic scripture.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">Like any documentary, evidence of bias is natural in not only who gets interviewed but also how the interview is presented and this, of course, is ultimately subject to the interpretation of the audience. And while reviews of "Countdown to Calvary" were mixed, I found the case made plausible, understanding the artistic license given -- except for one. One very critical item that may seem irrelevant to the average Christian was stated by Hugh Bonneville near the documentary's end -- that "asphyxiation" caused Jesus’ death.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">He’s wrong.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">Thinking back, many of us have heard this before. During a CBS interview by Nora O'Donnell with Bill O'Reilly, author of "Killing Jesus," on "60 Minutes" on Sept. 27th, 2013, Mr. O’Reilly indicates “suffocation” was the cause of Jesus’ death, given the best available evidence. Nothing could be further from the truth, however. Given baseball batting standards, Bill O’Reilly should be glad to know he is comfortably batting well over .500, as it is clear, from <span>available evidence, that the two thieves alongside Jesus on Calvary <em>did</em> die of suffocation</span>. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">The difference between these deaths and Jesus’ is as pronounced as it is profound.</span> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">So what does Jesus’ cause of death mean to a non-Jew?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">Perhaps not too much, as what seems most important, in spiritual terms, is His resurrection, the gift of the Holy Spirit just prior to his ascension into heaven, and the start of His Church on earth. True as this is, something is being overlooked here. What does Jesus’ cause of death mean to our Jewish brethren? It is significant, particularly when those followers of Jesus accept what can only be described, in Jewish terms, as an invalid holocaust under the Law of Moses. Accepting asphyxiation as the cause of death renders Jesus’ sacrificial offer, according to the Old Testament’s covenant, as unclean, separating him from his kinsmen. In short, if asphyxiation of an ox, sheep or goat presents an unclean holocaust to the Lord, under the Law of Moses, then such a means of death would separate the slain Jesus from his kinsmen and, ultimately, the Lord.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>So how did Jesus die -- a look at the record</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">How then could it be remotely possible for Jesus’ death to come from such illegitimate means under the old covenant if the new covenant is the fulfillment of the former (old covenant)? Remember, both the holocausts of the Old Testament and the holocaust of the New Testament are being made to the same “I am,” Almighty Lord, creator of the universe and mankind in it, that is, our heavenly Father. Would the Lord’s physical criteria here somehow change between covenants or will they remain consistent? Let’s apply a little thinking to our Bible passages here confirming the Almighty’s guidelines for acceptable holocausts or sacrifices.</span></p>
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<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">Lev 17:11-12. “Since the life of a living body is in its blood, I have made you put it on the altar, so that atonement may thereby be made for your own lives, because it is the blood, as the seat of life, that makes atonement.”</span></li>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">The quote above is from the Almighty as written by Moses. As atonement is common to the Old and New Testaments; loss of blood is the common means by which atonement is achieved as established by our heavenly Father in the Torah.</span></p>
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<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">Lev 17:14 “Since the life of every living body is its blood, I have told the Israelites: You shall not partake of the blood of any meat. Since the life of every living body is its blood, anyone who partakes of it shall be cut off.”</span></li>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4376912724?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4376912724?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="300" class="align-left"/></a>The quote above is from the Almighty, as written by Moses. There are two major elements here. The first, as the man, Jesus, is a living body, the sacrifice of his life according to his heavenly Father can only be acceptable through the loss of blood as, again, blood begets life and blood begets atonement. These are supernaturally intertwined, inseparable and physically necessary for a valid holocaust before the living God. The second is this: The sacrificial blood is reserved for God alone in the Old Testament, while under the new covenant both Jesus’ body and blood are now given to man to bring eternal life. The constant in the Old and New Testament sacrifices are the loss of blood of the body to achieve atonement, while in the new covenant two new things occur: one, God humbles himself becoming man and, two, man is elevated to eternal life with God through expansion of the holocaust, that is, man can now participate at the table of life by sharing the body and blood of the Messiah. Critical to God’s followers is knowing that God pursues man in both covenants and sets forth the conditions of sacrifice and participation necessary for atonement in each.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Above, a fresco by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fra_Angelico" title="Fra Angelico">Fra Angelico</a>, Dominican monastery at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Marco,_Florence" title="San Marco, Florence">San Marco, Florence</a>, showing the lance piercing the side of Jesus on the cross (c. 1440)</span></em></span></p>
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<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">Psalms 34:20. “He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”</span></li>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">Written by King David. The two thieves had their leg bones broken to hasten their death as their diaphragm would collapse without their ability to stand, causing their death by asphyxiation. This is medically true, physiologically true and biblically consistent. Here the thieves were, in one instance, alive. Then their legs were broken by a Roman centurion to hasten their death by asphyxiation -- unable to support their bodies to breath, the diaphragm collapsed preventing them from taking another breath. It was moments after their legs were broken that they both expired. Here, Mr. O’Reilly is “dead on” target with his suffocation assertion. According to Scripture, Jesus had already expired by the time the thieves' legs were broken -- and to some, this leaves open Jesus’ cause of death. Certainly, asphyxiation via broken legs can be ruled out because no bones were broken. But how is asphyxiation ruled out for Jesus all together?</span></p>
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<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">Isaiah 53:5. “But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">There are many interpretations of this verse. The key words here are “stripes” which are alternated for “wounds” or “bruises,” as any of the three of these relate to being “healed," as healing in the spiritual sense (from sin) is atonement. That is, the link between blood and atonement finds its way onto Isaiah’s passage, particularly if we apply the interpretation of “wounds,” as these are the causes for loss of blood. The scourging, piercing of hands and feet and the crowning of thorns -- all were causes for loss of blood. Under the Law of Moses, asphyxiation invalidates the sacrifice for atonement before God. Of the many scriptural passages, particularly from Leviticus but present here too in Isaiah, the practice of loss of life through blood loss according to the Law of Moses carries on today (unlike other practices such as stoning) in the slaughtering for kosher foods. The piercing of Jesus’ side by the centurion is exempt from cause of death because this occurs after he has given up his life, yet it is critical in confirming a perfect holocaust to the Father as the combined water and blood that runs from his side empties Him of remaining blood and fulfills His prophetic words to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well, that Jesus is the source of flowing water that gives life eternal. The forensic medical explanation is the piercing of the pericardial sinus, while the flowing of blood and water from the spear is generally accepted as miraculous. Would Jesus, a Jew, allow for his death by asphyxiation?</span></p>
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<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">John 10:17-18. “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it up again. Such is the command I have received from my Father.”</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">The quote above is from Jesus, written by the Apostle John. Jesus spent his full ministry performing healing miracles that, according to medical standards of the day and even today, defied, or, perhaps better said, “perfected,” the natural laws of medical biology. The error in suggesting the cause of death by asphyxiation comes from the nuance of the hypostatic relationship between Jesus' human and divine natures; that is, Jesus was </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">concurrently</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> fully human and divine. Focusing on his human nature alone, one could see how arriving at this false conclusion was possible. However, owing to his divine nature, we focus on one key word, used twice, in the passage above that is ignored in the asphyxiation assertion: “power.” So to deny Jesus’ death by blood loss is to deny his very words acknowledging divine power surrendering unto the Father the perfect holocaust of his life. This is the command given to Him directly by the Father and executed in perfect obedience -- all in accordance with the Law of Moses as the Father established.</span></p>
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<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">Matthew 23:37. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Thou who killest the prophets, and stonest those who are sent to thee! How often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but thou wouldst not!”</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">The above quote is from Jesus, as written by the Apostle Matthew. There are two key parts here that lead us to a surprisingly, very hopeful place in demonstrating Jesus’ love for his Jewish brethren. In truth, we own our history, imperfect as it is, and this history becomes a reminder to improve ourselves in the “here and now.” Second, such harsh words for Jerusalem might suggest Jesus is giving up hope for the very people that his heavenly Father selected among all the world’s peoples. Quite the opposite! What better “cruel to be kind” demonstration of Jesus’ love is there than Peter? Imagine being told in one instance that the rock upon which Jesus’ Church will be built will be Peter, then later being chastised for speaking for Satan himself when Peter suggests Jesus avoid the destiny of his death on the cross? And again being told Peter would deny Jesus three times. Peter miserably failed and wept in his weakness. Both recriminations indeed were harsh, yet Peter is the epitome of graduating, with honors, from “the school of hard knocks,” holding a unique place in the Church’s foundational history precisely because, like any foundational rock, it needed first to be hewed to fit the divine builder’s loving purpose.</span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">John 14:1. “Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me.”</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">The above quote was uttered by Jesus, as recorded by the Apostle John. Today we are still, as the generations before us were, so much smoking flax. Meek is the Lamb who will not quench it. Rest assured, many who live in Jesus’ name only but do not love will miss the mark of heaven and still others who have not Jesus’ name but love will find paradise with the Lord. We will stand before the Lord with a book in our hands. And this book will be the book of our life, each day having a page, each hour having a paragraph. Then the good Lord will ask us to turn to the pages where we loved. May many such pages and paragraphs be found therein, but, if not, may the last sentence of the last paragraph of the last page be like that of one particular thief on a cross. Have a blessed Passover. Have a blessed Easter. And may God bless those who celebrate other holidays or none at all -- as we are all His children.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400; font-size: 10pt;">The Lamb of God is returning as the Lion of Judah. Are ye prepared?</span></p>Forever Young: Love Between Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Daytag:thewildgeese.irish,2022-03-02:6442157:BlogPost:2984892022-03-02T01:00:00.000ZDaniel P. McLaughlinhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/DanielPMcLaughlin
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10163735653?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-right" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10163735653?profile=RESIZE_710x" style="padding: 2px;" width="400"></img></a></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong><i>My Tír na nÓg</i></strong></span></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">To Patricia A. McLaughlin from Dan,<br></br></span></i> <i><span style="font-weight: 400;">her husband, February 14, 2022</span></i></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">T</span>hough this poem</strong> may…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10163735653?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10163735653?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-right" style="padding: 2px;"/></a></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong><i>My Tír na nÓg</i></strong></span></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">To Patricia A. McLaughlin from Dan,<br/></span></i> <i><span style="font-weight: 400;">her husband, February 14, 2022</span></i></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">T</span>hough this poem</strong> may sound<strong><br/></strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">A little bit crazy<br/></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Bear with me now,<br/></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Me memory, ‘tis hazy.</span> </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A pig roast in July set the scene<br/></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">An introduction by cousin Eileen<br/></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Why this happened? Well it's just because<br/></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">I got invited to go with</span> <i><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Woz*</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You couldn't know all I was thinking<br/></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">As we chatted there eating and drinking<br/></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">While the Spaniard in me said,</span> <i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ay caramba!<br/></span></i> <span style="font-weight: 400;">The Irish side said, "Have a drink, then ask for her number."</span> </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And so I did – and you did too<br/></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Yet there is something I never knew<br/></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">How could I surmise we'd one day grow old?<br/></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Finding ourselves a family with hearts of gold.</span> </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When words of love fill the air<br/></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Like a song you would hum<br/></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Where the dog never bites<br/></span> And the bees never stung. </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">How your laughter is my garden<br/></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Your voice a melody in my ears<br/></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Such a hard-working woman and then<br/></span> How grateful to God I am for these years. </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Then after the sun has set -- and finally hung<br/></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">You're the one that's my "forever young."<br/></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">And when life seems a ruse, a long-hard road<br/></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">I see your face, your heart, mind and soul -</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">- my</span> <b><i>Tír na nÓg</i></b><b>!</b></p>
<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">* Richard Wozniak aka “The Woz” called from New York (as I worked in Tulsa, Oklahoma) to inform me of the annual July “pig roast” in Massapequa Park, Long Island. A classmate’s younger brother had been hosting this event for several years. A friend of The Woz since kindergarten, I managed to schedule a client boondoggle that week to make sure I made the event.</span></em></p>
<p><em><b>Tír na nÓg,</b> <span style="font-weight: 400;">translated “Land of the Young” in Irish,</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">refers to</span> <b>t</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">he land of perpetual springtime and eternal youth in Celtic lore.</span></em><em><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10163773267?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10163773267?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="500" class="align-center" style="padding: 2px;"/></a></span></em></p>
<p></p>Simeon's Snare: Prophecy at the Presentation of the Christtag:thewildgeese.irish,2022-02-02:6442157:BlogPost:2983122022-02-02T14:30:00.000ZDaniel P. McLaughlinhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/DanielPMcLaughlin
<p><em><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10065607670?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10065607670?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a> P</span>raise the Lord in all his glory.</em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A tremendous ray of sunshine burst forth fully adorned in the natural splendor of its Creator’s heat, light and energy. It hurtled forward in perfect obedience to the sun from which it came and landed on earth, leaving in its wake the…</span></p>
<p><em><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10065607670?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10065607670?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a>P</span>raise the Lord in all his glory.</em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A tremendous ray of sunshine burst forth fully adorned in the natural splendor of its Creator’s heat, light and energy. It hurtled forward in perfect obedience to the sun from which it came and landed on earth, leaving in its wake the promised glory of God itself. This glory, this “life was the light of all mankind”. (John 1:4) And from that glory, which came to be known as “the light” came countless, new “human” rays of sunshine. These new rays could do nothing but rejoice in one another, particularly that of the tremendous ray in complete honor and praise of that promised glory of God.</span></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Photo above:</span></i> <i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oil-on-panel painting of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, a mix of medieval and Northern Renaissance elements, showing St. Simeon, Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, Baby Jesus, and Anna. It most likely originated as a wing of an altarpiece. Wikimedia Commons</span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Would one ray of sunshine, were it conscious, looking upon another ray of sunshine, curse or demean that ray? Or, rather, if it could, would it not rejoice in the light of another’s perfect and unique discipline of the sun? So too, we rejoice in the holiness, the goodness, the kindness, the love of God and mankind of others doing the Father’s will. We have cause to rejoice as we bear witness to the mother of “the root and offspring of David, the bright morning star”. (Rev 22:16) Here we encounter and contemplate that tremendous ray we call Mary, Mother of the prophetic Messiah, Jesus Christ, at the scene of his Presentation in the temple. Though the first of Mary’s seven sorrows, it is the least discernable, shrouded, if not in a mystery, in an uncertain, sublime prophecy. Here, we hope to shed some light on this prophecy for the explicit purpose of the salvation of your immortal soul.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The encounter with Simeon and the Holy Family at the Presentation conveys something of a dual prophetic realization and a conundrum of curiosity when Simeon speaks these words, in two basic parts below: the words first addressing the Lord God in thanks and, second, the prophetic words following, addressing Mary:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Luke 2:25-35 quoted excerpts in two parts:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Part 1 -- “Simeon’s Song”: Simeon’s Words of Thanks to God (Luke 2:29-32) 45 quoted words (English translation)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word, in peace; because my eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples: a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and a glory for thy people Israel.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Part 2 -- “Simeon’s Prophecy”: To Mary His Mother (Luke 2:33-35) 41 quoted words (English Trans.)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Luke 2: 33-35 And his father and mother were marveling at the things spoken concerning him. And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign that shall be contradicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Simeon’s Song is self-explanatory, giving thanks to the Lord God fulfilling the promise of the Holy Spirit in Simeon’s messianic moment at the temple. In Simeon’s Prophecy, the first sentence is apparent and easily understood given the passage of time and events. We know Israel struggled in accepting Jesus, creating what Simeon refers to as “the fall and rise of many.” Understood. And the sign that is contradicted is, of course, the cross: A sign of torture and death in the Roman empire has been, because of Jesus’s resurrection, converted and transformed into a sign of eternal life itself. Again, understood. All discernable, so far.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s Simeon’s next sentence to Mary, stated here again:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”</span></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Photo below: “</span></i><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Seven Swords Piercing the Sorrowful Heart of Mary” in the Church of the Holy Cross, Salamanca, Spain. Wikimedia Commons</span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10065609101?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10065609101?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="400" class="align-left"/></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;">How is a soul pierced by a sword? How does Simeon foresee that Mary’s sword-pierced soul will reveal the hearts of many? And reveal them to whom? Was the “sword” Simeon spoke of that of the Roman soldier’s spear in Jesus’ side, confirming his death on the cross? If so, how would this particular event of the crucifixion, in and of itself, reveal “the thoughts of many hearts” vis-a-via Mary’s soul? As Jesus’s mother, we accept that the spear piercing the side of Jesus on the cross would undoubtedly be “felt” in the psychological hyper-empathetic sense by Mary bearing witness to it. So if we accept this event as the “pierce” referenced by Simeon, how does Mary’s pain at the foot of the cross reveal the thoughts of many hearts? [Again, if Simeon is correct in interpreting Mary’s painful witness to the spear piercing Jesus’ side would ultimately reveal “the thoughts of many hearts”, then how?] Being at the foot of the cross, witnessing Her son’s death yet keeping her faith in the Father and Her Son, Mary’s mourning tears of sorrow were three days away from becoming morning tears of joy. Yet, Mary’s experience here does not appear to connect the spiritual dots that Simeon has prophetically spoken. </span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>Mary acknowledges that fear of God brings blessings</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alternatively, is the “sword” Simeon refers to a metaphor for generations of mankind’s cruelty, standing in stark contrast to the love of Christ itself those profess to have? That is, is man’s stated rejection of Mary’s perfect obedience to the Almighty a confirmation (revealing the thoughts of many hearts) of the absence of true love and obedience to His son, Jesus? There’s good reason to fear the Almighty for he knows the innermost workings of our heart and mind -- and what a true confession is that -- it redeems us, putting us back on track to the love of God and mankind, which, of course, is why God created us. Doesn’t Mary herself acknowledge that fear of God brings blessings? “. . . and his mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him”. (Luke 1:50)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If we accept this metaphor as prophecy, that is, Simeon’s prophecy, well, it has come true. (In baseball terms, Simeon is “batting 1,000” - but that average is reserved only for the few under the auspices of the Holy Spirit.) How many times have we stated or received words “that cut like a knife”? Would not a sword be more likened to a knife than a spear? Consider that there are a fair amount of Christians and non-Christians who at a minimum are dismissive of Mary and at a maximum demean her, such that a kind of spiritual misogyny is indicated before our heavenly Father.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here, consider fearing the Almighty more than you already do. We know Christ existed before time as the Word, “In the beginning” according to John 1:1. We are aware that God in the Word, as all knowing, foresaw his mother before she existed and is referenced in Sacred Scripture (both before and after her earthly existence) as “the woman” in Genesis 3:15, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed…” and again in Revelation 12:1-17, “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun and the moon was under her feet, and upon her head a crown of 12 stars.”. Christ on the cross confirms her as such in speaking to mother Mary and the apostle John, “Woman, behold your son.” And to the apostle John: “Behold thy mother.” Basically, Simeon, being with the Holy Spirit (who brought him to the temple to bear witness to Israel’s consolation to the world -- that is God made flesh as man from the House of David) is both warning and affirming future generations of so-called followers of Christ that the love of his mother -- or lack thereof -- will reveal their many hearts and minds to God himself. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And if we behold in Mary, the arc of the second covenant -- that is the “new and eternal covenant,” in the esteem God made her for -- His only begotten Son, wouldn’t any words or thoughts for that matter, that fail to recognize her perfect purity in obedience to the blessed trinity be tantamount to defiling that which God himself has made holy? When we contemplate the arc of the first covenant as holy and Uzzah’s fate for touching, that is, defiling the arc, “God smote him” and Uzzah “died there beside the arc”. (2 Samuel 6:7) So is Simeon, perhaps the last prophet living from Old Testament times and sublimely the first prophet of the New Testament, telling us with his prediction that we are “spiritually dead” if we somehow profess we follow Christ in one breath and draw the sword of our cutting words against His mother in the next breath? Are you afraid yet? I am. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If we look at this from the standpoint of our “ray of sunshine” metaphor above, should we not demean, detract or disprove but rather rejoice in our Blessed Mother’s perfect obedience to God? Mary, as that ray of light, heat and energy, is “the handmaid of the Lord” and is as obedient to the Lord as light is to the sun. If we fail to love and respect the Blessed Mother, we affirm the insincerity of our love of Christ himself. So then, wouldn’t now be a good time to rethink and reflect on our heart’s desire to better follow God’s only begotten Son by also rejoicing in His Mother’s pure love and perfect obedience to God the Father?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>Has anyone in Hollywood argued with a Jewish mother?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now for those who say “I find no fault in Mary but in those that worship her in substitution of Christ,” you are indeed halfway home. Rest assured the only message Mary brings us is to follow her Son, making the substitution scripturally impossible. There is but one Redeemer for the forgiveness of sins, illness and grantor of everlasting life -- that of Christ, for only Christ bore the sins of humanity in the Garden of Gethsemane, suffered, died, was buried and rose again in fulfillment of Sacred Scripture. As Mary has the eternal honor of being Our Redeemer's mother, let us acknowledge that what God has made holy mankind can only attempt to defile -- and this at his or her own spiritual peril, perhaps better referred to here now as “Uzzah’s risk.” Are you willing to take on Uzza’s risk with the second arc of the covenant? </span></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Below (right), poster promoting the 2004 Mel Gibson-directed film “The Passion of the Christ.”</span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10065611064?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10065611064?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-right"/></a>Hollywood -- and companies? A compliment. Two, timeless, blockbuster hits paid righteous and loving homage to both arks. “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981) and “The Passion of the Christ” (2004) both gave audiences added, respectful, insight to God’s glory and loving commitment to mankind. A warning: Recognize you are trifling with other-worldly “unspeakable power” (“Raiders”) at your own spiritual expense if or when less than respectful (blasphemy) treatment is is given to our Lord’s living ark, Mary. Practically speaking, has anyone in Hollywood (or anywhere for that matter) argued with a Jewish mother -- and won? So why start now? Critical to our spiritual salvation is forgiveness. Listen closely to this passage (Matthew 12:31-32):</span></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Therefore I say to you, that every kind of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this world or in the world to come.</span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jesus protects his mother, full of grace -- that is the Holy Spirit, with these words (as a true loving son will do) and later, at the foot of the cross, Jesus makes Mary the mother of all who come to him. Earlier in his public life Jesus advises, “I tell you on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak. By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37) Careful, Hollywood!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Taken from the standpoint of purity, is anything less than pure worthy or acceptable to God Almighty? How then can Mary be anything but perfectly pure for all eternity? Perfectly obedient, perfectly pure, a perfect ray of sunshine bursting forth in light, heat and energy. The “woman clothed in the sun”. (Rev 12:1) Fast forward from the Presentation with Simeon to about 1,531 years later to December 12th, 1531, where blessed Mary discloses her name in Mexico to an Aztec elder named Juan Bernardino as the “Perfect Virgin, Our Lady of Guadalupe.” Emphasis here is on “Perfect Virgin.” Those questioning Mary’s perfect, eternal purity should take note of this confirming event and the plethora of miracles associated with the Our Lady of Guadalupe tilma “painting” to this day, notwithstanding the conversion of 9 million pagan souls to the gospel in just 8 years time. (Juan Bernardino, the uncle of now Saint Juan Diego, was healed by Mary.) </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In Matthew 22:36, when answering the Pharisees' query, Jesus confirms the greatest commandment of all is to love God with all our heart, mind and soul. Simeon’s prophecy includes the very same three elements whereby many hearts & minds (“thoughts”) are revealed when man’s cutting words (the “sword”) wounds or defiles (“pierces”) the soul of Jesus’ mother.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Has Simeon, with these prophetic words, forewarned us all of a sort of spiritual snare for those who attempt to degrade the Blessed Mother?</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Mary, the arc of the second, new and eternal covenant, is to some the object of degradation, though God himself made her to be “blessed” for all eternity. Is Simeon suggesting Mary’s soul is somehow related to your own soul in that you cannot claim to truly love God with your whole heart, mind and soul if you reject as perfectly pure, Mary, the mother of God’s only begotten son, Jesus?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>Mary is recognized as being of a higher order than the angel – ‘Hail’! </b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Think and reflect for a moment how the angel Gabriel addressed Mary: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.” This is something of an astounding encounter, that an angelic spirit of the highest angelic order, living outside the realm of time and space, in the presence of the Almighty, says “Hail” to a woman of flesh and blood. That a woman, living in time, in the world, is, in effect, saluted, recognized as being of a higher order than the angel himself is truly astounding! Still, you might ask how can this be reconciled with Jesus’s words on John the Baptist in Matthew 11:11, which state, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” For at no time in Scripture do we see John the Baptist addressed by angels, but the key here to defining the spiritual hierarchy between John the Baptist and Mary resides in Jesus’s qualifying words on John “born of women.'' Note that we are drawn to Mary’s perfection in her two aspects, that is, born of woman</span> <i><span style="font-weight: 400;">and</span></i> <span style="font-weight: 400;">born of the Holy Spirit -- the Immaculate Conception that created Mary elevates her status to the supernatural-level worthy of Gabriel’s angelic “Hail”! </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10065611481?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10065611481?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-left"/></a>Now, let us consider who is in attendance at Jesus’ consecration, that is, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and Simeon (and perhaps a rabbi or two, though none are mentioned in Scripture). For Simeon, “It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord.” (Luke 2:26) Keep in mind that the three kings left their royal thrones from distant lands to bear witness to Jesus’ birth, and the fourth king, Herod, went to great lengths in acknowledgment of the virgin birth, as well. A messianic buzz was in the air at the time of the Presentation. Simeon’s attendance and words confirm this messianic moment.</span></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Left, “Simon with Jesus” (1669) by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669), National Museum, Stockholm.</span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some spiritual speculation, if allowed, without adding or subtracting a word of Scripture: Simeon is a rare biblical character who experienced being in the presence of the blessed trinity as they were in the temple, led by the Holy Spirit. There he holds God’s only begotten son, Jesus, in the flesh. In silence are the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the temple with Simeon, Mary and Joseph. With the presence of Anna, the prophetess, in the temple “coming up at that very hour” (Luke 2:38) to the holy family -- the number of God’s perfection, 7, attend the Presentation. That Simeon specifically addresses and assigns such powerful words tying Mary’s pierced soul to the “thoughts of many hearts” recognizes her perpetual holy state into the future, that is, Mary is with the Holy Spirit forever. The Father and Son have willed this from all eternity, that is, “In the beginning” the “woman clothed with the brilliance of the sun” is born both of woman and the Holy Spirit in perfect obedience to God the Father, to deliver Jesus, the means of mankind’s salvation, forever.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Therefore, heed the words of Simeon’s snare and be forewarned to sheath the sword of your tongue when it comes to Mary’s soul. Do not seek to pierce this pure soul with thoughts or words that cut and defile that which God himself has made holy from all eternity. Rather, rejoice in Mary’s great love for the Lord God, the Holy Spirit, her son, Jesus, and, by the spiritual adoption we call grace, your very self!</span></p>
<p><em>The lamb of God is returning as the lion of Judah. Are ye prepared?</em></p>
<p><strong><i>This commentary was written by Garden City, N.Y.-resident Daniel McLaughlin and edited by Gerry Regan, of</i> <a href="http://www.edit360.biz"><i>Edit360.biz</i></a><i>, along with Meredith McLaughlin. For more of Dan’s work, visit his profile and blog here on</i> <a href="https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/profile/show?id=DanielPMcLaughlin&#"><i>TheWildGeese.irish</i></a><i>.</i></strong></p>Is There a Double Entendre In the Lord’s Prayer?tag:thewildgeese.irish,2021-02-11:6442157:BlogPost:2760622021-02-11T14:00:00.000ZDaniel P. McLaughlinhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/DanielPMcLaughlin
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8543247263?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8543247263?profile=RESIZE_710x" style="padding: 3px;"></img></a> <strong>O ye servants of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.</strong></span></i> <strong>(Daniel 3:85)</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><b>T</b></span><b>here are two basic kinds of double entendres, one salacious and the other not. Here we refer to the latter.…</b></p>
<p></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8543247263?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8543247263?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full" style="padding: 3px;"/></a><strong>O ye servants of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all forever.</strong></span></i> <strong>(Daniel 3:85)</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><b>T</b></span><b>here are two basic kinds of double entendres, one salacious and the other not. Here we refer to the latter.</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">No prayer unites Christians on earth and in heaven more than the Lord’s Prayer. And in its saying, God willing daily - if not more, we run the risk that repetition can bring, making the “Our Father” a mechanical event rather than a reflective “I love you” to the Almighty and his creation, particularly that of humankind. </span></p>
<p><em>Top image, The Lord's Prayer (Le Pater Noster) by James Tissot, courtesy of Brooklyn Museum.</em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8543250277?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8543250277?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="350" class="align-left"/></a>Before looking further into the Lord’s Prayer, let us first consider if another double entendre exists elsewhere in sacred scripture. Here is where the fulfillment of prophecy is hidden in plain sight from temple Jews and Jesus’ apostles alike: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19) For at the time of its saying, only Jesus knew the true meaning of the word “temple” in his answer to the Jews’ query for a sign justifying his driving out the temple men conducting business in his Father’s house. That is, the “temple” was that of his body, not the place of worship. The apostles understood this only after Jesus had risen from the dead. The “temple double entendre” blinded and confounded the temple elders and apostles. Here we can make what appears to be a case as to the kind of double entendre employed, that is an “exclusive” double entendre whereby the statement made totally excludes the initial meaning (the temple building) to the total and true application of the alternate meaning, Jesus’ “temple” (Jesus’ body). (Alternatively, an “inclusive” double entendre would apply to both meanings, equally or unequally.) </span></p>
<p class="mw-mmv-title-para mw-mmv-ttf-container mw-mmv-title-smaller"><em><span class="mw-mmv-title">Above, Lord's Prayer fragment from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindisfarne_Gospels" title="Lindisfarne Gospels">Lindisfarne Gospels</a>, f. 37r, Latin text, translated in Northumbrian dialect of the Old English. Wikimedia Commons</span></em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Citing the “temple” double entendre, we revisit the Lord’s Prayer where both Luke and Matthew have but one phrase in the prayer that is in verbatim congruence. Referring to the two places in scripture where the Lord’s Prayer appears, Luke 11:2-4 whereby Luke 11:3 reads “Give us this day our daily bread,” and Matthew 6:9-13 whereby Matthew 6:11 reads “Give us this day our daily bread.” You should note in both books of the gospel there are slight language variations, nuanced word differences to the prayer both before and after Luke 11:3 and Matthew 6:11, where the language is equal, identical and verbatim. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We contemplate, many of us, this identical language in the Lord’s Prayer to mean “bless our work” that is, how we earn our daily bread and, on the surface of it, sounds just, right and reasonable. That is, the work we undertake in the world provides physical sustenance for us and our families, enough to live each day. Can this be true? Don’t we ask the Lord to bless our work as well? And justifiably so? Or is it possible, if not more likely, true to Jesus’ teachings and purpose of being - that the “daily bread’ in the Lord’s Prayer is that of the body of Christ himself and not that which is found through our toil in the marketplace? The answer is almost too easy when we contemplate Jesus’ words in John 6:35 and again in John 6:48 the exact same words: “I am the bread of life.” (See also passages from John 6:51-59.) Here the case is being made for an inclusive double entendre whereby both may apply, albeit in unequal ways, whereby the bread of Christ’s body is, by far, the primary (if not the sole) meaning given to the “daily bread” and the fruit of our labors takes on the lesser application of our savior’s words, if at all. That Jesus asks us to “seek first the kingdom of God” (Matt 6:33) gives us this divinely provided perspective between the two meanings. </span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>The meaning of 'Our Daily Bread'</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8543251099?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8543251099?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="350" class="align-right"/></a>In so many places throughout scripture we find the primacy of the spirit over the physical, heaven over earth and the love of God over material gains. “What doth it profit a man if he gain the world and lose his soul in return?” (Mark 8:36) If the divine purpose of Jesus’ being is our redemption in conquering sin and death to the revelation of mankind for eternal life, then it naturally follows the “bread” in the Lord’s Prayer is that of the bread of life, Jesus Christ himself -- and not the bread of wages from our efforts in the labor force. We recognize God’s priority for mankind is in service to the Father, his son Jesus and the Holy Spirit. For this loving Father sent his only begotten Son to be our bread of life. And the Son, in turn, sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and amongst us. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em><span>Photo right, </span>18th century painting of the Lord's Prayer, on the north side of the chancel of St Mary's Church, Mundon, Essex. Wikimedia Commons</em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Therefore we surmise either an inclusive or exclusive double entendre in the Lord’s Prayer such that, in both cases, it is the body of Christ that is the primary and superior meaning, if not the sole meaning, of “our daily bread” as set forth in Jesus’ “new and eternal covenant”. This also means Jesus, when he gave us the Lord’s Prayer, was thinking ahead to the Last Supper in giving mankind communion. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What does one do with this newfound perspective? Well, for starters, when we come to this part of the Lord’s Prayer, we think and reflect first that “bread” = “Jesus’ body” and daily bread, at a minimum, means the word of God or Gospel, prayer and, at its true maximum, means both the word of God or Gospel, prayer AND communion, the sacrament Christ himself instituted at the Last Supper. Remember how difficult it was for even the apostles to accept this teaching of Christ’s, which sounded like nothing more than cannibalism? Yet the apostles followed their intuition or divine guidance and continued to follow Jesus, though they could not fully understand what he was saying. They stayed with Jesus. So for those that grapple with that part of our faith that is transubstantiation, we merely echo Simon Peter’s words here in John 6:69-70, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast words of everlasting life and we have come to believe and to know that thou art the Christ, the Son of God.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Translation: Read the Gospel daily, even if only for 4 minutes in the morning and 3 minutes at night, pray AND work towards receiving Communion weekly on the sabbath at Mass and, when possible, any additional days we are able. And know, with faith, simply because Jesus said so, that he, Jesus Christ, is “our daily bread.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8543242467?profile=RESIZE_710x" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8543242467?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="75" class="align-right" style="padding: 2px;"/></a>The Lamb of God is returning as the Lion of Judah. Are ye prepared? <br/></span> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><br/></span> <strong><i>This article is dedicated to <a href="https://riverheadlocal.com/2021/01/20/clare-rose-consiglio-57/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Clare Rose Consiglio</a> (right), who passed Jan. 18, age 57. We knew Clare, prayed with her, learned from her, and were inspired by her. She was a virtuous woman of great love and faith, and is greatly missed.</i> -- Daniel McLaughlin</strong></p>A Visit From Our Lady of Guadalupe Sets Stage for Christmastag:thewildgeese.irish,2018-12-11:6442157:BlogPost:2368862018-12-11T19:00:00.000ZDaniel P. McLaughlinhttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/DanielPMcLaughlin
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/325823830?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/325823830?profile=original"></img></a> <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">D</span>oes human nature translate divinely?</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Have you ever had lunch with a Jewish mother? “Have I mentioned my son David graduated valedictorian from high school and is now on full scholarship to Johns Hopkins University? (About 14…</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/325823830?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/325823830?profile=original" class="align-full"/></a><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">D</span>oes human nature translate divinely?</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Have you ever had lunch with a Jewish mother? “Have I mentioned my son David graduated valedictorian from high school and is now on full scholarship to Johns Hopkins University? (About 14 times.) “Well, he’s just been accepted to next year’s, Columbia’s medical internship program for brain surgery!” No doubt, congratulations are due! Think about it -- you have about as much chance of stopping a runaway freight train with a feather as you do preventing a Jewish mother extolling her son’s success over lunch. Can you blame her?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So when skeptics of the many visitations of the Lord’s mother, Mary, suggest other than divine origins, we pause and remind them of the initial and eternal union with the Holy Spirit, ensuring that all generations will call her “blessed.” We remind the skeptics that Jesus, who existed before time, foresaw his mother before she existed in time. Imagine that.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Blessed as Mary is, her message is simple, straightforward and consistent -- to paraphrase, “Follow my son Jesus.” Or as Scripture indicates at the wedding feast at Cana, “Do everything he tells you.” None of her visitations seeks her own glory but that of her Son’s, the narrow door.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Accordingly, if the likes of modern-day evangelicals Joel Osteen, Jerry Falwell and the recently departed Billy Graham are universally praised and recognized for bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to the laity in America, who or what on heaven or earth can or would prevent our Blessed Mother from doing the same and more to the Americas? Can anyone stop a Jewish mother from doing this?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This time of year, we reflect on one such visitation unique to the Western Hemisphere and to the Americas -- Our Lady of Guadalupe. On December 9th, 10th and again on December 12th, 1531, Mary asked an Aztec peasant named Juan Diego to bring a request to build a chapel to Mexico’s first archbishop, Don Juan de Zumárraga. Having little persuasion, Juan Diego was twice denied but was asked by Zumárraga to return with some sign indicating he was in fact receiving instruction from the Blessed Mother herself.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mary asked Juan Diego to go and pick a bunch of flowers on a nearby hill and bring them to the archbishop as the sign he was looking for. The flowers, being at full bloom but out of season were thought to be “the sign” to be conveyed to the archbishop. The flowers were gathered up in the large shirt, the tilma, of Juan Diego. The fabric is made of a coarse agave cactus fiber.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/326007903?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/326007903?profile=original&width=350" width="350" class="align-left"/></a>Waiting for hours and this being his third visit, Juan Diego finally opened his tilma before Zumarraga, announcing the flowers were given as a sign of Mary’s authenticity. Juan Diego did not know that his tilma had transformed into a painting of our Blessed Mother surrounded in hieroglyphics resonating directly with the Aztec-Mayan cultures. (The painting, seen in the photo above taken in December 2006, from <em>Wikimedia Commons,</em> is miraculously intact and with us today despite being made on material that should have decayed and disintegrated over 450 years ago.)</span></p>
<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span>Left, Archbishop Don Juan de Zumárraga</span> discovers the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Juan Diego's tilma. (Source unknown)</span></em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The impact on the Aztec-Mayan culture of Mexico was profound. Heretofore, a culture of death, including the practicing human sacrifice to pagan gods by way of removing victim’s beating hearts, was dominant in Mexico. One result of Juan Diego’s messaging: The nation converted to Catholicism. So the sacrifice of native Indian innocents was exchanged for the sacrifice of Jesus in the Eucharist. It was clear that what the Spaniards could not do at the point of a conquering sword our Blessed Mother could accomplish with a painting. One pagan, human-sacrificing, polytheist culture flipped on its head, turned on a dime -- to the Church, by a painting.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is credited with the conversion of an astounding 8-9 million Aztec-Mayans at a critical time, where in Europe 4-5 million were leaving the Catholic Church during the Reformation. The timing here was impeccable, ensuring a replenished Church laity in the Americas as the that in Europe retrenched. There are many miracles both of and related to to the tilma that are worth looking up. (See “The Amazing and Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe (2nd edition)”.)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We acknowledge that no other “artwork” known to mankind has been credited with the conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ of such vast numbers in so short a period of time, numbers Joel Osteen, Jerry Falwell and Billy Graham, combined, would be happy to have.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And so, as we gear up for the Christmas and Chanukah season, it may be a good idea to pause, reflect, pray and celebrate with some flowers and a Spanish-Mexican meal December 12th as a prelude to Christmas, recognizing Mary’s loving evangelization and most notably, her faith in our heavenly Father in giving us her Son. Here we honor and respect one particular Jewish mother in history who will not be denied the power and freedom of the Holy Spirit in guidance to her son.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Perhaps now is the time, with Our Lady of Guadalupe’s coming 500-year anniversary (2031) for the Americas to revisit our Blessed Mother’s message as it applies to our “culture of death” society, that we may share in the Aztec-Mayan conversion one day soon.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Lamb of God is returning as the Lion of Judah. Are ye prepared?</span></p>