I. THE ANGELS

The existence of angels – a truth of faith

328 The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls “angels” is a truth of faith. The witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition.

Who are they?

329 St. Augustine says: “’Angel’ is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is ’spirit’; if you seek the name of their office, it is ’angel’: from what they are, ’spirit’, from what they do, ’angel.’”188 With their whole beings the angels are servants and messengers of God. Because they “always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven” they are the “mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word”.189

330 As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness.190

Christ “with all his angels”

331 Christ is the center of the angelic world. They are his angels: “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him. . “191 They belong to him because they were created through and for him: “for in him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities – all things were created through him and for him.”192 They belong to him still more because he has made them messengers of his saving plan: “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?”193

332 Angels have been present since creation and throughout the history of salvation, announcing this salvation from afar or near and serving the accomplishment of the divine plan: they closed the earthly paradise; protected Lot; saved Hagar and her child; stayed Abraham’s hand; communicated the law by their ministry; led the People of God; announced births and callings; and assisted the prophets, just to cite a few examples.194 Finally, the angel Gabriel announced the birth of the Precursor and that of Jesus himself.195

333 From the Incarnation to the Ascension, the life of the Word incarnate is surrounded by the adoration and service of angels. When God “brings the firstborn into the world, he says: ’Let all God’s angels worship him.’”196 Their song of praise at the birth of Christ has not ceased resounding in the Church’s praise: “Glory to God in the highest!”197 They protect Jesus in his infancy, serve him in the desert, strengthen him in his agony in the garden, when he could have been saved by them from the hands of his enemies as Israel had been.198 Again, it is the angels who “evangelize” by proclaiming the Good News of Christ’s Incarnation and Resurrection.199 They will be present at Christ’s return, which they will announce, to serve at his judgement.200

The angels in the life of the Church

334 In the meantime, the whole life of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of angels.201

335 In her liturgy, the Church joins with the angels to adore the thrice-holy God. She invokes their assistance (in the funeral liturgy’s In Paradisum deducant te angeli. . .["May the angels lead you into Paradise. . ."]). Moreover, in the “Cherubic Hymn” of the Byzantine Liturgy, she celebrates the memory of certain angels more particularly (St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, and the guardian angels).

336 From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.202 “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.”203 Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God.

Footnotes:

188 St. Augustine, En. in Ps. 103,1,15: PL 37,1348.
189 Mt 18:10; Ps 103:20.
190 Cf. Pius XII, Humani generis: DS 3891; Lk 20:36; Dan 10:9-12.
191 Mt 25:31.
192 Col 1:16.
193 Heb 1:14.
194 Cf. Job 38:7 (where angels are called “sons of God”); Gen 3:24; 19; 21:17; 22:11; Acts 7:53; Ex 23:20-23; Judg 13; 6:11-24; Isa 6:6; 1 Kings 19:5.
195 Cf. Lk 1:11,26.
196 Heb 1:6.
197 Lk 2:14.
198 Cf. Mt 1:20; 2:13,19; 4:11; 26:53; Mk 1:13; Lk 22:43; 2 Macc 10:29-30; 11:8.
199 Cf. Lk 2:8-14; Mk 16:5-7.
200 Cf. Acts 1:10-11; Mt 13:41; 24:31; Lk 12:8-9.
201 Cf. Acts 5:18-20; 8:26-29; 10:3-8; 12:6-11; 27:23-25.
202 Cf. Mt 18:10; Lk 16:22; Ps 34:7; 91:10-13; Job 33:23-24; Zech 1:12; Tob 12:12.
203 St. Basil, Adv. Eunomium III, I: PG 29,656B.

In the Magnificat for today:

Water for the thirsty, bread for the hungry, a strong hand for the uncertain: these are among the lovliest of the messianic promises. Repentance, penance look unappealing only to the short-sighted. Whatever changes the Lord’s coming requires of us, their purpose is simply to prepare us to recieve the overwhelming abundance of the love He brings. This is the trust that animated the hard work of contemplative surrender to which Saint John the Cross was committed.

John of C was an absolute God sent when it comes to searching the depths of God’s Divine Providence and how it’s all wired within the faithful through they’re prayer life. In alot of his works he’s addressing beginning spiritualists. It is absolutely amazing how he hits it, dead on, with what you think and how you feel while in spiritual thought. Much of his writing describes a state of confusion or doubt, all being the begining of a “dryness of soul”- A dryness necessary for the individual to bond best to God through soul, in Spirit.

IE

You and only You, know this man Tim Gerdes, down to his soul. When I hate I will break. All attachments to the flesh, sending my soul into a “Dark Night,”- on its way in it’s search for you, Lord Jesus. When it unites with You, my truest essense is made known. Father Most Delighted.

Here will be spiritual contributions in which posts will hopefully prove themselves helpful.

Topics will have reflective spiritual depth, yet its substance fairly light and understandable in the real life sense!!

In an effort to clean some of this up I’ve divided up the material based on different writting types

tim’s Scripture
apologetic mind
pices aquarius
sister theresa

So hidden essence being just spiritual writing.

And here’s my facebook add me!! or just search timothy gerdes

Excuse the excessive JoC, but he launched me into my deep spiritual life.

“In this fashion he bestows substancial locutions on certain
souls. These locutions are as important and valuable as are the
life, virtue, and incomparable blessings they impart to the soul.
A locution of this sort does more good for a person than a whole
lifetime of deeds.”- The Ascend of Mount Carmel, Book two, Chapter
31, St John of the Cross

This really grabbed me because it most effectively describes the
power of prayer through mediation- man’s greatest blessing from God. In one moment of prayer God can show man something that He usually takes a lifetime
to show him.

“Yet until a soul is placed by God in the passive purgation of that dark night, it cannot purify itsself completely from these imperfections nor from others. But a person should insofaras possible strive to do his part in purifying and perfecting himself and there-by merit God’s divine cure; in this cure God will heal him of what, through his efforts, he was unable to remedy. No matter how much an individual does through his own efforts, he cannot actively purify himself enough to be disposed in the least degree for the divine union of the perfection of love. God must take over and purge him in that fire that is dark for him.”- Saint John of the Cross

(Opening Prayer Taken from the Magnificat for Sunday June 1, 2008)

Father,

your love never fails.
Hear our call.
Keep us from danger
and provide for all our needs.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who live and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

“What you’ll find is the concepts of the spiritual world will start to surface. They will enlighten the weak and the humble in a most profound way. Mother Earth. Some choose to believe that it is Mother Earth. In their mind this mother is pushing forward her natural thoughts for change. These being her efforts to balance the ways of an unchanging male dominant society. To balance the greatness of the imbalanced she will stay insistent of only her feminine air, feminine to balance what already is, but also, this time, because she knows anew must be born.” – anonymous, I heard that somewhere

“For our own good, God wishes to give us certain things upon our request; in this way we gain confidence in God and acknowledge him as source of all our blessings.”- St. Thomas Aquanas

A townsman walks up to another townsman…

TM1 “What? Tell me..”

TM2 “You see her?… What?? Who??.. Why do you smile?”

TM1 “Oh yes. I see her. Watch her now.. Watch her with the people around her. Children stray from their parents, spouses from the other, gravitating toward her. They know not that they’re even doing it. She’s 12!! Naturally they just want to make her proud of them. I don’t think they even understand why. I’ve never seen anything like it.

And this man..look.. he.. just the other day was run off by a woman trying to steal from her home. Watch him approach this little one.. Somethings telling him he must bow to her. She expects it not, but just the same knows he’s coming, and comes in sorrow now..I know she does, just watch her. So bad I wish to know if the girl knows already that the man is the town’s thief. Either way though.. he will walk away from her with a changed heart, ready to live a more honest life. I’m sure of it.

All of what I say isn’t from our moment here alone. I’ve seen it many many times and in so many ways. She’s a girl of very likeable natural. She has natural favor with the people. The people wish to just be close to her whereever she goes. They know she knows their heart, but they simply don’t know how. As she walks around change is with her. A change with these people.”

TM2 “How can this all be. She has no children!! Like you said- the girl is only 12 years old!!”

TM1 “Oh but it is. You watch her for any amount of time at all and you will know the whole town remains under her wing!!”

TM2 “You’re crazy. I will NOT be a part of this!”

.. for the man knew not that satan roams the same town as free as the innocently watched girl does.

To come…

TM1 “You haven’t watched her than!! She wishes NOT to be recognized, unlike every other damn person in this town!!”

Subject at Hand

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”- St. Augustine’s Confessions (Lib 1,1-2,2.5,5: CSEL 33, 1-5)

Real Reflection

It is the truest and simplest fact presented to mankind. The longing remains in all people regardless of a thing.

The difference between someone who knows and understands God and one who knows and understands a cheap generic spirituality is- the cheap spirituality keeps someone sputtering where to a Christian it gives life and purpose.

Give God His much Paid due (Paid in Full through JESUS)!!

But they’re too scared out of arrogance (or being chicken shit) and market share to say it is in fact God and more so Christ Himself!!

The choice is so simple declare it as God or pawn it off as cheap spirit and energy.

May 31: Happy REAL Valentines Day!!

On the Feast Day of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus..

Christ’s Peace!

Deus es Caritas.

Let Jesus be your Hope & your Strength. For never will He let you down.

Sacred Heart of Jesus

You’re F[lippin] right I share such intimate writing with the world.

For those who wish to confront me… by all means.. feel free. I’m good for it.

You don’t like it, take it up with Jesus.

Jesus, set me free.

Dear Tim,

In the past two months I have given away six hours of free classes on how to accelerate your business growth from an aligned space. During those classes I pointed out that a lot of entrepreneurs who are on the spiritual path are broke or struggling because of the many energy blocks they are experiencing in their business.

If you listened in on my three part series on aligning with the universal energy flow to accelerate your business, then you heard me talk about why many entrepreneurs who are spiritual are also completely unconscious. And then I went on to explain why being spiritual without being conscious will make your path to financial success a very long and tough road.

If you caught my recent two part series on transformational marketing, I went another step further and directly addressed the topic of why you must expand on a soul level first and align with the universal energy flow or you will literally starve your business resulting in lackluster sales in a tough economy. I outlined how consumers needs have changed and how you could literally change your marketing to address these changes and lock in your market share right now … even in a declining market.

In all my years in business I have never received such an enormous response from my subscribers for my series of teleseminars. I received hundreds of truly heartfelt letters of gratitude for my information from people who were touched deeply in their heart, their soul and their mind from my programs.

When Mary was three years old, her parents presented her in the Temple in Jerusalem as a gift to the Lord. Their family then lived close by that great center of Jewish life. Even from her first days, Mary as a child seemed to know that her life was to serve God.

The temple of God so near her home was a place she loved and there was nowhere else she would rather be. So as a little girl just three years old, her parents watched her ascend the fifteen great steps to the temple courtyard and approach the altar of sacrifice. God was there and she wished to be near him. And that is what her parents, Ann and Joachim wished, that their daughter be near her God. The early story says that mary spent most of her childhood in that holy place.

taken from: http://www.themass.org/novena/life.htm- “Dedication in the Temple”

Many parts together make one body alone.

Oct 11, 2007

Theresian Mediation

This close disciple of Jesus is one of simplicity. She is a gentle reminder that being a child of God is easy. Just let Him do all of the work. Be most concerned about your littleness. Be little for Jesus, for He will do the rest. She says-

Servant of God
“The smaller I am for Jesus the Bigger He is for me.”

“I just spread the seed to the birds and let God do the rest.”

Your Life’s Purpose
“When the Lord wants something more of me He simple instills desire”.

Theresian Contemplation

Mount Carmel

Sister Therese, you are not fooling me, little beautiful. You were God’s Little Contemplative Carmelite. There’s nothing simple about the battles fought in a Carmelite’s mind. This is so and because it is so you are even greater than what the people can see or read about. A littleness is only the beginning with you, my closest sister. Therese, help me to be little too.

In Spiritual Battle

If I may get in one intention to you let it be one against embarassment. The devil sends embarassment. It is assumed that I found the Lord when it is in fact the Lord who has found me. People assume I know not the fool I am making of myself. But it is in Jesus’ Holy Name that I risk having nothing left.

I fight the battles but the devil sneaks in as enlightenment comes. I get frustrated and prideful when it gets hard instead of being Theresian and small like my little big sister.

Saved with the Help of Mary’s Maternity

My Flower, ask of Jesus the best of both worlds- Him, and to let the devil have it, leaving him with nothing while being the smallest humble servant of the Lord. Much like Mama. Oh how he hates Mama. In a war where pride meets humbleness and greed meets charity, Mother Most Gentle continues to Pervail through Her Grace and Divine Love Granted to her by the Father through the Son and Holy Spirit. satan can’t stand it as hard as he works for domination. Mother Most Hidden, Protect me in Hiddenness with you.

Salvaic Twin Hearts

Therese, take my hand and lead me back to Mary. Bring me to Her Immaculate Heart, the Heart made Sacred with Jesus’. Through such a Heart “Deus es Cartas”.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, Lifeline of the whole world, bring me peace and bring me hope..

Intervention through Intercession

St Little Therese, pray for us.
Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta, pray for us.
John Paul II, pray for us.