A large basket of fruits had been laid on a table in a spacious room.

The mother passed by and immediately called the maid asking whether these fruits were washed thoroughly before bringing them out to the Guests, “I don’t want the kids to eat dirty fruits and get sick”

The artist came along and saw it. He stood there for a while looking at it and then finally he whipped out his pencil and papers and started to draw a beautiful sketch for his future painting.

A chemist passed by afterwards. He closed his eyes in ecstasy and took a deep breath. “Oh, this fragrance is heavenly. The mixture of apple, banana and Peach with a hint of pomegranate…this is my next perfume creation.”

The next person to come by was the gambler. He looked at the table angrily and then yelled in a booming voice, “who put these stupid fruits here? Come and clear the table so we can play a game of cards.”

A spiritual man followed…he smiled and silently said a prayer, “Thank you Lord for providing us with the sweet bounty of the earth.”

Then a physician came along…he thought, “Finally some people have the sense to eat healthy foods”

Even an engineer stopped, grabbed his chin and went into deep thinking. Then he started pointing his finger to the light and fruit arrangement…

Finally a child arrived…he ran to the table grabbed an apple, took a large bite and as the sweet juices streamed out of his little mouth, he went away happily calling his friends, “come, there are lots of fruits here.”

If you walk into this room, what would YOU think? Looking at the same situation, people have different perspectives. Is there anybody who is concerned about God’s perspective?

The only survivor of a shipwrecked luxury yacht, is frightened on an uncharted island in the middle of the ocean. She is praying for a miracle to bring any ship this way to take her home.

Nobody sees her…But God does.

A little child is crying in the middle of a jungle after his screaming father has been taken away by wild animals. He does not know what to do or where to go.

Nobody hears him…but God does.

An Old man was beaten and mugged in a dark alley in the big city and then left for dead. He is moaning in pain on the ground.

Nobody cares…but God does.

A hiker is trapped in a wilderness by a flash flood…

A climber is half way up the cliff when his gear is breaking up…

A skier is racing down the slope ahead of a deadly avalanche…

And…

After a five course dinner with family and friends, I go to my room and kneel to pray…

“Please God, help me get this new car…and that promotion. I am worried about that person who seems to hate me…Oh, God you are very slow to respond to my endless prayer. Please hurry for I cannot wait any longer.”

To me, my needs are always more important and more urgent than the needs of anyone else. God knows…God sees…God hears…God does take care of ALL who call upon him in his own unbound kindness, infinite wisdom and unimaginable power. That is Divine Providence…

There is a beautiful brook near by. Birds, animals and people flock to it to enjoy its running fresh clear water. A large gorgeous tree full of green leaves grew up like a proud giant next to the brook.  I sat by the edge of the brook, leaned on the trunk of the tree and took in the invigorating air. A handsome squirrel approached nervously and then in a flash he went past me and climbed up the thick branches of the tree. A short while later a sweet chirping swallow landed in front of me to drink. When he had his fill, he flew merrily to rest in his nest up the tree.  I may have been day dreaming. Or probably I might have inadvertently peeped through a magic portal into a fourth dimension. I don’t know how exactly, but I found myself drawn to eavesdrop on the peculiar conversation that ensued after that…

“How I envy you… both you.” The tree whispered with a sad sigh. The squirrel looked puzzled then said, “Why lovely tree? Actually I am the one who should envy you.”

“Shut up you two, I want to sleep.” Chirped the little swallow. To which the tree answered, “You see. You can sleep when you want. Fly when you want. And go wherever you want. While I am stuck here in this one spot and I cannot go anywhere.”

Flustered, the squirrel dropped the nut in his hand, “Are you kidding me? You don’t need to go anywhere. Everyone comes to you. You are so majestic and beautiful. You are so strong and big. You change your coat every year. You laugh at the wind and the snow. Even humans come to rest in your shade” The squirrel was talking with exasperation. The tree was not convinced, “I would give up all that for the chance to walk or run or fly like you two.” The swallow spread his wings in objection; he jumped to stand on the edge of his nest, “Now listen you. Do you know the dangers I have to dodge every minute of the day? Kites, hawks and what have you are all over the place. Not to mention those pesky humans with long fires who enjoy chasing me every where. I wish I were as strong as you are. You don’t even have to look for your food. All you have to do is twiddle one of your long and strong roots to gulp whatever nourishment you need.”

“That is true little fellow.” Retorted the squirrel, “But I would really like to fly like you. Dangerous or not, I’d like to be able to see the tops of the hills, the flats of the savannah, the babbling waterfalls and the endless orchards and groves of fruits and flowers. It must be wonderful to fly up so high and look down at everything and everyone”

“You of all the creatures shouldn’t even think about it this way.” Objected the Swallow, “you can go to all these places if you want. Yet, you choose to spend all your time gathering your treasure of nuts and hiding it to gorge yourself on it during winter time. Look at you. With a coat and tail like yours, I’d feel like a king.”

Now it was my turn to jump in, “wait all of you.” They all turned to me seemingly shocked, “Each of you has such a wonderful advantage. How about me? I wish I were rooted ever so firmly like the tree. Or soar up high in the sky like the swallow. Or have such thrifty wise instinct like you squirrel. Look at me a human. I am born so fragile, weak and helpless…and grow up with a built in self destruct button.”

There was silence for a short while. Then they all burst out laughing.

“What…What‘s so funny?” I was astonished.

“Look at you? You are human. You have choices. Some of you are so firmly rooted in their ideals and principles that even a hurricane wouldn’t so much as stir them” said the tree, still shaking with amusement.

“Yeah…but some of those are rooted in the wrong and stupid ideals which mess up everything for everybody else.” I objected.

“Yes…that’s true…they are like a tree planted in a filthy swamp…” laughed the tree again. Now the swallow flew around me a few times and landed on a branch near my face. He raised his beak up and looked down at me,

“You humans drive me crazy. I can fly as high as the clouds. But you…oh, you can soar with your imagination into an immeasurable heaven which has no dimensions. You make wings which crowd the skies for me. You can even peep into the far planets and stars. You should be crazy to want to be like me.” He was very indignant

“True…very true.” Agreed the squirrel, “As for your instincts, I must agree that you sometimes stink. You have a very big box on top of your shoulders which is supposed to be filled with a lot of smarts. Yet most of the time it is filled with mush and filth. You don’t need to be like me, you only need to use the ‘on’ switch of your brain”

I must admit, I was embarrassed. I think they did not understand what I wanted exactly. But there was no way for me to explain.

Then unexpectedly all of us were shocked when the brook which we thought was babbling unintelligibly interjected, “It seems like nobody is satisfied with what gifts he has be given. Use, share and enjoy what you have, otherwise, you may even lose that.”

From the Book “Echoes in a Mystical Mind” By George P. Mckary  

In the Sermon on the Mount we read… we should love the enemy? Do good to those who hate us and pray for the ones who persecute us?

Indeed these great ideals are integrated in the noble fabric of the Holy Book itself. These are the instructions of the Lord our God and Savior. However, the meaning of these gracious words goes past most people and ends up misconstrued and badly applied or even exploited.

In an attempt to clarify the intended meaning, St. Paul (Romans 12:20)quotes the Old testament saying – and I paraphrase here – that if your enemy hungers, give him something to eat or if he thirsts give him something to drink “…for in so doing thou shall heap coals of fire on his head”. He never says – and you cannot find it anywhere in the Holy Bible – that you should hand your enemy a knife or a gun or give him any means to help him hurt you or hurt your loved ones. It would be ludicrous to undermine your own safety or use what you perceive as love – misguided as it may be – to fulfill the commandment.

When the Lord made a rope and kicked out all the people who desecrated his Holy Temple and overthrew their tables and turned their pigeons loose …was he contradicting His own divine words? Of course not…

When He asked the guard who maliciously slapped him at the house of the chief priest, “…why did you slap me?” was he contradicting his divine words? Again no…

When St. Paul refused to leave Philippi without first getting a public apology (Acts 16:16-40) was he stepping outside the boundaries of the commandment?

You see…the intended meaning of “Love your enemy” is basically that you never try to hurt any one…even if it is your enemy i.e. Be peaceful as a dove, as it is expressed in Mathew 10:16. But the prudent – and actually the logical choice – is to avoid a fight whenever you can i.e. Be wise like a serpent. We see this when the Lord left Bethlehem and fled to Egypt. And we see it again when the Christians began mass migration out of Jerusalem after the martyrdom of St. Stephen.

What many pacifists fail to understand is that no matter what you do, you cannot always avoid a confrontation. For even when you love your enemy, there is no guarantee, that your enemy will love you back !! More often than not, the enemy will consider your kindness a sign of weakness. And yes, you shall always count on the Lord to defend you, but the Lord had given you the faculties to be alert and if you cannot avoid the conflict, at least you can be able to defend yourself and your loved ones. It sometimes comes to a point when you have to stand up for what you believe in. That is the reason for the edict at Mathew 10:33 “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” in other words, at the peril of our own life we have to stand and declare the truth. We have to say to the enemy, “Stop, you are killing innocent people” not only that, but if we have the means to stop that enemy from hurting the children of God, we should not hesitate to do so. Otherwise, why does the church sanction enrollment into the military? And why do we boast that Emperor Constantine, though vastly outnumbered by his enemy, could prevail and conquer that enemy in a great decisive battle carrying the banner of the Crucified Christ? Only heretics like Jehovah witnesses will prohibit the enrollment into the military and concede the duty of defending them and their families to someone else.

So the meaning is basically not to be belligerent or aggressive, but to be loving as in “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”(Romans 12:18)

Listen…when the Christians were confronted by Nero or Diocletian they were slaughtered in the arenas and were given to the beasts as food for the entertainment of the savage Romans. So now the savage Romans are only replaced by different savages, like the Islamists. What is old is what is new as the book of Ecclesiastes reminds us.

We have choices. We can flee if we have the opportunity…that is good and we do encourage our children to migrate away from the persecutors as our fathers of the first century did (It goes without saying that the old time immigrants should do everything they can to help and support the newcomers). We can stand up in fearless defense of our faith if we must. Or if we have the opportunity and means, we should stop the aggression and defend what is ours. None of these choices violates the spirit of the commandment.

But there is more…

Do good unto those who hate you. Yes. Those who discriminate against us and against our children in the schools and at the work place…or in high ranks or leadership positions, we don’t deal with them in the same fashion. We are Christians. We give each one the rightful earnings and we don’t discriminate because we are discriminated against otherwise we would be doing the same error for which we blame others. Those who deny us the grades at school or the job or the position are benefiting from our Christian faith when they come to us Christians to teach them or cure their illnesses or give them money to survive (not to buy a gun to kill us). The divine words, nevertheless, do not mean that I should take what belongs to my child and give it away to those haters just to prove that I am honoring the commandment. Christian aid is being distributed around the globe every day to all people of different religions and even to people who are known to strive to kill Christians any time they have the opportunity. (Remember the Tsunami in Malaysia)

Now let’s talk about pray for those who persecute you. What does that mean? When we pray, we pray for the wellness and salvation of people. Even in the Liturgy we do pray for peace of “people in every city, nation, island and monastery” we also pray for those who have nobody to pray for them…those poor souls whom we don’t even know. We never pray to destroy people or to kill people or to harm anyone. It is contrary to our Lord’s will to pray in such negative manner. We know that the Lord who told us to pray in this exalted manner had also promised in Mathew 21:44 “whosoever falls onto that rock – the faith in Christ – will be bruised but those wicked upon whom that rock will fall…they shall be crushed into powder” so as we pray we know that it is not up to us to decide the fate of people…who is going to be bruised or who shall be crushed or even who shall repent. God knows the Arianos, mighty Moses or Augustines of the world and He will convert them in due time if they repent before it is too late. That is why we pray for their salvation. I like here to remind myself of the beautiful liturgical litany “Lord disperse and disband their council as you Lord discredited the council of Ahithophel”

One last important point must be explained. Today’s persecution and war against the faith is not only in the savage arena and bloody rampage of the wicked persecutors but also in a more dangerous and subtle arena of ideas and in the intellectual sphere. The adversaries are learning the devilish, deceitful and devious ways of their master. They are using politics, economics and the media in all its forms and the educational system and even science itself to wage war against the faith in Christ. Directly or indirectly, they are using all the resources available in the twenty first century to undermine the Christian faith of the new generations and that shouldn’t be news to us because the Lord told us long ago that this will be the case (Mark 13:13-23). Whether they admit it or deny it, we can ignore it at our own peril. If we convince ourselves that they only mean well and we shouldn’t fight against some ‘misguided’ people. We are going to wake up one day and find our children suffer ten fold our own suffering…and we shall have contributed to their demise by our lackadaisical response to a clear and present danger…So, what do we do?  You ask…

Let’s get a grip on reality. It is an undisputed fact of life…if you cannot identify your enemy, he will certainly sneak up on you when you least expect it and devour you. It is imperative that we recognize the enemy for what it is…an enemy…an adversary whose principle goal is to defeat us and subjugate us into the slavery of its wicked ideology. The Lord himself had warned us against “those wolves who come wearing sheep’s clothes” Indeed if we are not alert and vigilant to identify the enemy for what it is and then take the proper steps to ward off its heinous attacks and subtle poisons, we shall be consumed by its various kinds of assaults.

By the same token, we need to identify our friends and brothers and all those who are on our side…so that we put our heads together and stand shoulder to shoulder in our battle against our common enemy. You can see how unfortunate it is when different believers attack each other and call each other names while the enemy salivates at our stupidity and enjoy seeing us distract each other and undermine each other to become easy targets for its aggression.

In the Holy Bible, when one was performing miracles and casting out demons in the Name Of Christ (Mark 9: 39), the disciples questioned the Lord whether they should stop him “because he was not following them” But the Divine wisdom gave them a different answer “But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man who shall do a mighty work in my name, and be able quickly to speak evil of me.”

Let everyone who loves and believes in the Christ as God and savior get together and instead of tearing each other we unite to tear our common enemy apart and expose its malicious and murderous schemes and glorify our God.

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

2 Timothy 3: 12-13

Ethereal Dialogue … 3

I met my friend outside the great glass doors of the sanctuary. I walked to the golden railing of the vast terrace. There was an ornate and wide semi circular flight of stairs on each side of the terrace. The lush green meadows were fresh and invigorating. He was waiting for me at the top of the left side stairs. I walked to him and as we started climbing down the stairs, I asked

– Where are we going?

– To the Lake.

– What lake?

– Don’t ask too many questions. Trust me; you are going to like it.

– How different is this lake from any other lake?

– It is completely different. It is unlike any thing you’ve seen before.

– Is it too far?

– It is just beyond the tree line.

– Wait a minute. This will take us outside the village.

– Don’t worry. Nobody is there to object or stop us. Besides, we shall return before sun   down. Why are you so cynical? Loosen up a little.

We walked for a while. The great sanctuary behind us grew farther and farther. My heart was beginning to run a little faster. I was excited. It seemed like a great adventure for me. I never ventured outside of the village before. Those loved ones I left behind, might not be pleased to hear about this. I shall only tell them if I find the place really nice. I might even take them back there if it is worth the trip. I did not notice that we were silent for a long time.

– We are already approaching the tree line.

– Yes, (he laughed) are you scared?

– No. not scared, just apprehensive. (We were walking amongst the trees.)

– Look. Have you ever seen a tree as big as this? Or this?

– No. (I was amazed) what kind of trees are these. Are their fruits edible?

– Of course. Try it. (He jumped and grabbed a branch loaded with red ripe fruits. He plucked some of them and let go the branch) Here, taste this.

– (I took a bite) it is delicious. We don’t have trees like that in the village.

– I told you. There are a lot of things you can enjoy outside the village.

– I am getting tired. How much farther should we go?

– We are just about there.

– (Before I know it, we suddenly came upon a clearing with some rocky walls at the farther end) there is a road to the left. Oh, what is that smell?

– Don’t worry about the smell, you shall get used to it.

– But it is so bad. It is like something is rotting.

– (He laughed) yes, all your sickness and weakness will be purged by this smell.

– (As we walked just around the bend of the road, immediately we came upon a huge horrible scene) whoa… what is THAT?

– The lake. See, I told you. It is unlike anything you have ever seen.

– Are you crazy? You expect me to plunge into this?

– We … we are going to swim into this fantastic water. It is therapeutic.

– Not me. (There seemed to be pillars of fire shooting out all over the surface of what he called the lake. it did not look like water. More like a smelly dark brown liquid so hot that it was actually boiling. The stench was so overpowering, it made it hard to breathe.) I am not going to come any where near this.

– Look how clear the water is. There are hardly any waves. You can virtually see the bottom of the lake with all these beautiful colored shells.

– I don’t know if you are blind, but I am looking at a gruesome scene of a smelly lake of fire while you are describing a fantastic dream. I must be on my way back right now.

– Don’t be foolish. Once you step into it, you are going to understand what I mean.

– No. no. I must go now. Sorry. (I walked backward a few steps, then I whirled around and started running)

– Wait you fool. You came all this way, and you won’t even try it? (when I did not respond, he started running after me)

I ran through the rocky road, then through the trees. It was getting dark and I was almost sure I am going to get lost. Yet, I did not stop. I got so tired. Then I realized that he is still running after me, babbling his incoherent words as both of us were out of breath. I had to push on. He almost caught up with me. I stopped for a moment and turned around. We stood there looking at each other. I was frightened. He was surprised. I did not understand him; neither could he seem to understand why I was running. Then I turned again and started to run without being sure if I was running in the right direction. I spent the whole night running. I kept Falling down and rising again. Staggering from tree to tree, I got quite filthy with mud, sweat and dirt all over me. As dawn approached, I finally saw a break in the trees. The green meadow at last… I dashed through the tree line, and burst into the open meadows. I felt my heart about to burst, but I did not want to stop. I kept running and screaming like a crazy child. After long last, I reached the bottom of the staircase. I hugged the balustrade and started inching my way up the stairs. As I reached the top I fell onto the terrace, and began creeping towards the great glass doors. That is when my heart almost stopped. The doors were sealed shut.

I fell to the ground sobbing madly. My clothes were torn; dirt and blood covered my sweaty face and bruised body. I closed my eyes as I got too weary to cry. Suddenly, I heard the voice of my friend at the top of the stairs …trying to convince me to go back with him …

– The doors are shut. They don’t want you back.

– I’d rather stay here by the door. When they come inside, I shall be able to see those I love…I don’t have to touch them, it is enough for me to see them … I don’t want anything more.

– They will see you. Those glass doors are very thick and strong. But they can see you too. And that will be tragic. Look at yourself…

– (I turned to look at him. He almost made sense. I looked at my hands and my bruised body.) You may be right. I should wash first.

– In the lake… you can/

I screamed in his face… frantically, I pushed my body against the glass doors and started banging them with my bloody fists crying, “open up…open up…please….please…”

The lights came up inside the great hall. The king was standing, surrounded by his children. My heart melted completely. I did not want to spoil this moment with my filthy existence. I dropped my hands down, still leaning on the doors, and started to fall down slowly to the ground. Suddenly, the doors split open and I fell into the threshold. The king was standing next to me. He leaned over and grabbed my hand. He pulled me up to my feet. I could not look at his eyes. But he touched my chin and lifted my face to look at him. He was smiling …and he took me into his arms and hugged me.

Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. (Psalm 91:14)

1- Doing battle…..

The flickering light of the candle is dancing with the fresh breeze of the evening…the outstretched meadow dotted with short trees at the distance is suffused in crimson colors streaked with the faint gold rays of the departing sun……I walked into the big terrace until I reached the golden railing. There were magnificent stairways on both sides. And behind me were the huge glass doors leading into the great hall. Suddenly there was a shudder in the grounds. All candles went out with a strong whiff of the wind and it looked as if the sun itself fell behind the horizon. I saw his silhouette approach….    

He said, “you are getting weak.”

I answered, “Don’t count on it. What brings you here now?”

“Easy does it. I just want to talk to you. I…” 

“You and I have nothing to talk about.”

(I walked away, but instantly he was again blocking my way)

“I want to save you the trouble of this lengthy unnecessary war.”

(I looked at him for a moment in the dark shadows. How can he wear that mask? It is a mask. That handsome seemingly innocent face with that charming smile)

I said, “well, maybe then you should stop harassing me.”

He answered, “I am going to do just that. Only you have to wise up and fulfill your part of the bargain.”

“Bargain? What bargain? Are you insane?”

“Now before we get nasty, remember what happened when we met last time. You don’t want to repeat that agony again?”

 (he was sarcastic and seemed to savor the moment)

I challenged him, “I am not afraid of you. Despite your vicious attack, you see me still standing.”

“Defiant to the end. But I can still see the scars in your heart and your mind. You cannot fool me.”

“My scars only remind me that there is no alternative to beating you.”

“I know your weaknesses. And trust me, I shall crush you. Yes, if you don’t wise up and listen to me I shall really make you regret it. I shall make an example of you to all those who defy me.”

“I wonder how you can say such things with that sleazy smile still on your ugly face. Why don’t you please leave me alone?”

“First mistake. You know I “please” only when I win.”

“Then get out of my face you savage monster.” 

(he sneered at me impatiently)

He hissed angrily, “I am offering you a golden opportunity to stop all your suffering. I can make you happy and rich and…”

“You are a liar. (I was shouting) you are a liar. Only a fool will bargain with a liar and I am no fool.”

(His mask was melting now. His eyes started to glow with that unmistakable fire. His breathing got heavier, as his lips receded to expose the bloody fangs. As he spoke, he sounded like a hissing snake…)

He repeated, “I told you I know your weaknesses. The last time I hit you and left my scars on you. This time I know how to bring you to your knees.” 

(I started walking towards the glass doors)

I shouted confidently, “I have my protection you buffoon.”

(He did not follow me. He thundered the words scornfully)

“I shall hit those you call beloved….you shall be responsible for their demise….I shall___/”

(I whirled around in fury. My heart was already crushed by the mere threat. I screamed at the top of my lungs)

“you cannot dare… you wouldn’t dare…”

(I ran towards him with my small fist in the air …He blocked my fist with ease, then his huge bloody knuckles flew up high and the next thing I knew, I was knocked flat on the floor)

He thundered again, He said sarcastically, “ Don’t even try again…”

(The hurt to my dignity was greater than the physical ache. I sprang up ignoring the pain)

I stubbornly shouted,  “you cannot defeat me… I know that you cannot defeat me.” 

He blurted, “But I can defeat them very easily…”

(I lost my mind and jumped at him with both fists and kept kicking him until I got tired. He waited until I stopped. Then he grabbed me by both hands and tossed me in the air like a tiny toy. I fell to the ground, and then he started kicking me until I could not move any more.)

He commanded, “Stay down and watch how I shall crush you…and them

He started to laugh so loud that it felt like a booming earthquake. At that moment the great light gradually appeared from inside the great hall of the sanctuary. It got stronger fast. The thunderous laughter of the monster stopped. The ugly one was shrinking in size and stamina very fast. His voice turned into an agonizing moaning……

                  2– THE CHANGING CROWN….

            I was sitting in the last pew at the far end of the sanctuary. The sun rays were creating a myriad of colors streaking through the stained glass windows. I sat there motionless, even though my face was certainly betraying the storm raging inside my mind. My thoughts were whirling in my head at a maddening pace. I was fighting anger, depression and disappointment all at the same time. Just when despair was about to be added to the brew, I felt someone quietly come to sit next to me. I did not turn around to see who it was. He sat there quietly for a while.

             It was getting dark now as the sun outside went down, and I did not bother to turn the lights on. His voice touched my ears ever so softly.

“Why are you fighting with yourself?” (When I did not answer he tried again) “you don’t have to torment yourself because of that defeat.”

(I hardly heard my own voice answer)

I whispered, “I let him trick me into this fight. I knew it was an unbalanced battle. I knew I should not let him drag me into a challenge, and yet …how stupid. I forgot all the lessons I learned.”

He answered, “Don’t look back. You can do better in the future.”

“Each time I say the same thing. It seems I am hopeless.”

“These are his words, and you know he is a liar. Your words were true, when you said that you have protection.”

“Look what happened now. I am going to be the one causing him to attack all my loved ones.”

“Nonsense, he never stopped attacking you or them for a single moment. Do you think if you bargain with him, he is going to stop fighting them?”

I thought for a moment and then slowly said, “No…I should have known that. Oh, I should have known that.  

“He is a liar. And you easily fall for his old tricks. “

There was a short silence before I could answer in bewilderment, “I don’t want them to suffer. Please. I am expendable but they are precious.” 

“Wrong again. No one is expendable. But suffering is a means for honing human talents. It keeps a wise person constantly on guard.”

(It became quite dark now. Yet there was a single candle glowing brightly in front of the large icon of the king. My eyes were fixed on the painful spectacle. The purple robe, the mock scepter, the eyes looking up towards heaven, the thorny crown with blood streaking down on his brow. Tears started to flow quietly down my face)

I couldn’t help but whisper in agony, “Oh, my Lord, I failed you again. You suffered all that pain for me, and I failed you again. But I love you. I really love you. How can I prove it to you when I keep failing time and again ever so shamefully?”

The words fell ever so gently on my ears, “Remember your own words. It is so easy to deal with the king. He does not need explanations or proofs. Unlike people, He already sees through the heart.”

“But I failed. I failed and all I have is all these painful disfiguring scars. Whenever I hear those words during the service,” lift up your hearts” I feel like I have to run away. I don’t belong there. How can I lift up such a filthy heart full of these ugly scars? It would be like an abomination.” 

Again the words came to answer, “To the contrary. Which is better, a soldier bloody, wounded and broken down or a clean soldier who cowardly ran away from doing battle? Whosoever finds his life will lose it, and whosoever loses his life… will save it….remember. Those scars you are ashamed of are priceless indeed. They are the pearls in the crown of glory.”

I looked straight at the wounded king in the icon at the front and said, “Crown of glory?”

“Yes. Certainly. Here and now you have to wear this crown…the crown of thorns. Only to have it exchanged later for the crown of glory. If you don’t have the crown of thorns here…how will you get the crown of glory? I know what you are thinking. No, you cannot give your crown to one you love. Each must earn his own. And now you know how.”

Silence reigned for some time, then finally I turned around to see the speaker. Nobody was there. But his words still echoed in the air….      

On the dirt trail in the country side two fellows were walking together. The sprawling fields all around filled the fresh air with a faint aroma of vintage wine.

• So what do you do?
• I am a priest. How about you?
• (hesitantly) Me? Oh, I am … a pastor.
• Sheep herder, that is?
• Kind of… So, what does a priest do?
• Let me think. We do a lot of things. But the most important thing is that we are the ones who make the offerings on behalf of all the people.
• What kind of offerings?
• (laughing) Oh, don’t worry. We are not going to kill the lambs you shepherd.
• (irritated) You cannot kill the lambs I shepherd… (Thinking for a moment) on second thought, I think you can. Actually some of you did.
• That was in the past/
• Not quite. Very recently this happened. Killing does not always involve a knife.
• I see. You are very protective. But you are talking about a small number of priests who belong to an old cult that no longer exists.
• I know that even today, there are priests in the Christian church, there are priests in Buddhist temples, and there are priests even in the satanic cults. And numerous other kinds of belief systems. Not to mention that even in the most noble of these, there are old and new systems that have different traditions.
• Are you trying to be sarcastic? So how many kinds of sheep herders are there?
• Well, that is the problem. There is only one kind. The kind that would sacrifice themselves for the safety of their flock. After all that is the real meaning of the word pastor.
• Bingo. We are the priests who do just that.
• Are you serious? You mean priests who shepherd their flocks as pastors?
• Yes, as a matter of fact the Lord and Master of us priests, is called the Good Shepherd. He did sacrifice himself for his flocks.
• Amazing. You are talking about OUR Lord and Master. We seem to have a mix up here.
• No mix up, sheep herder. A few hundred years ago a smart guy once said, “A rose by any other name would still smell sweet.”
• Now you remind me. Our Lord and Master himself once said, “A tree is known by its fruit.” So, an orange tree cannot produce olives for example.
• You got it. That is why only the kind of priest who will be happy to sacrifice himself for his flock and always leads them to the green pastures of truth, love and grace will be called A Christian Priest. Never mind the imitations. Some wear the same clothes and speak the same lingo and even smile just like the original ones. But you know, this is like the fig tree dressed up to look like an orange tree.

It was high noon. They were approaching the farm House called Gethsemane*. When suddenly five men with machine guns seemed to come from nowhere and surrounded them. They had their heads and faces wrapped in black scarves, leaving only their bloody red eyes glaring down at them. They stopped.

“Where are you heading Christians?” barked one of the gunmen. They looked at each other, and then the priest answered calmly, “Home. We are heading home.” The gang moved in a little closer, while their leader spoke again, “where is this…home? On these grounds? Or may be …   underground?” he laughed with his friends, and when he did not get an answer, he fired a few shots on the ground near their feet shouting, “Cat bite your tongues?”

Then the pastor said, “What do you want?”

“What do I want? Yeah, what do I want? Well, I am a very kind and generous man; I always like to give your likes a choice first. You can abandon your unholy religion and join us…”

When he stopped, the priest prodded, “Or?”

The brute walked towards him until he was inches away…. He pulled his scarf off his face as they locked eyes. The Pastor screamed as he recognized the man,

“You…? I cannot believe it…Aren’t you…?”

“Yes I am. Just because you gave me some food last week, you thought you could buy me?” the thug retorted. He walked away from them. When he was back in line with his friends, he turned and yelled, “Say it now. You will join us, or you shall join the fools we just killed in the farm house?” Both men were horrified. The priest fell on his knees sobbing while the pastor raised his arms towards heaven, “you killed them…murderers…murderers.”

In a few moments they were both sprayed with bullets among the joyous shouts of the villains. Priest and shepherd, both fell down to the ground as a little river of blood ran to water the plants in the fields around. With his dying breath, the priest whispered, “Olives had to be pressed for the precious oil.” The pastor smiled and said, “And the grapes… had to be pressed for… wine.” As they closed their eyes to see heaven, their cut up blessed bodies became a reminder that Saints also had to be pressed so that their holy blood bears witness of the life giving faith in their Lord…the Good Shepherd.

John 10:12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

*Gethsemane means oil press.