Season opening thoughts about the first commandment
1. Our fake Gods, our fake Christianity.A lot of people think that it is quite easy to obey the first commandment. We have been baptized and affirmed our baptism by confirmation. What else is Christian identity, if not this? I have to disagree with the sisters and brothers thinking these. Christian identity is not a set of features. It is not community membership. It cannot be gained. It cannot be possessed. The Lord will only be our sole God if we do not place anything even close to Him that may reach His importance. (For further details, please read my season opening essay here.)
2. The roots of Christian identity. The most important source of Christian identity is living in a communion with the Holy Trinity. Looking at the Ten Commandments from the light of the New Testament it is obvious that God’s intention is not to restrict us but to fulfill us. Knowing God’s Totality and experiencing His endless love, we can see that obeying the Ten Commandments becomes a consequence – and not a requirement. The dual communion experienced with God and fellow human beings is not else than the love command of Jesus (Matthew 22:37-39). The specific manifestation of Christian identity’s roots is the prayer, the Sacraments (the baptism and especially the Eucharist) and the Word of God. (For further details, please read my season opening essay here.)
3. The trunk and shoots of Christian identity. The first important element of Christian identity’s trunk is the recognition of sin and the fear of God. The most important element of Christian identity’s trunk is the gradual formation of Jesus’ face and His whole self in us. There are a lot of shoots of Christian identity that are individual characteristics of Christian believers. (For further details, please read my season opening essay here.)
1. How many ways are we swamped by noise? We are bothered by the world’s noise because it does not let our own noise be heard. Our own shouting clamor separates us from Totality whose message becomes audible only in Silence. There are many forms of silence, which we force to ourselves: the activity-silence; the silence, which is an end in itself; silence, which becomes an own reality… (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)
2. The essence of Totality is Silence. Thoughts about the perpetuity of God. In my essays there is a large difference between silence and Silence. Lowercase silence is determined by us and filled by us. Uppercase Silence is God’s form of existence which He presents us if we ask for and accept Him humbly. The Silence of God is the symbol of God’s perpetuity and God’s simple purity above all existing complexities that can be experienced by us. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)
3. The depths of Silence born in us. The reserved sanctuary of our Soul is God’s home. For going so deep inside ourselves and finding the Father’s Totality there, we have to deprive ourselves of ourselves entirely. Solitude helps us reach the Silence of God but the Silence of God is the opposite of solitude. The Silence of God protects us from everything. A lot of things help us reach the Silence of God. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)
