Something Strange Is Happening ...

Discipleship Meeting
April 13, 2009

Something strange is happening….

We shared movie reviews and Triduum experiences. The following movies were recommended:
St. Rita, Mother Teresa, Song of Bernadette, St. Patrick of Ireland

Father Paul shared that when he came back to the Church, he joined a friend who had a study group. One of the people was on the Board of Trustees at a school. This person was going to meet with Spirit Guides. Father Paul said he stayed in prayer, in union with Christ. He said they were doing whatever…they normally go into some kind of whatever they do, and the people trying to call on the spirit guides said they were having a hard time dialing in on what they normally do. Their spirit guides were saying there was a much higher power in the room, and they did not want to come out with a much higher power in the room. Jesus was in the room! Father Paul said he did not say a word. They recognized a power greater than they had going on. Moses came with the power of the Lord. Spirits may or may not be lined up with God. There are holy angels and rebellious ones that are “fallen” aka demons. These realms are very real

Beth
There is a Catholic book about Saints who brought people back from the dead.

Father Paul
We don’t want to say that miracles only “used to happen.” We don’t want to limit God to what has been done. We don’t know what God is about to do.

Chris
I am interested in Pope John Paul II. Being a history teacher, I reminisced about the politics and the political-science piece. He had such an impact around the world. It was just the anniversary of his death. We talked about him in class. He was the most-traveled Pope and created World Youth Day. He is impacting the world today through students.



Sister Sheila
In 2004, I went to Rome and they were celebrating his 25th year. [At the time] I was working with victims of sexual abuse. I got a ticket to go to the public audience. You show your ticket and go to next place. The seat was right behind all the Cardinals and Bishops. What was moving was [the Pope] was suffering so much and here he was reaching out to all the people who had come to see him.

Chris
There is a lot I learned about his life…growing up Poland…the Nazi’s …he was at such a young age. He asked the Cardinal [why he had been chosen as Pope and the Cardinal said] everyone else said, “No” to him. He suffered and gave Mass from his hospital bed. He forgave the man who shot at him. He is inspiring.




We read from Liturgy of the Hours,” From an ancient homily on Holy Saturday” ( p.496)

The Lord descends into hell


“Something strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.
He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: ‘My Lord be with you all.’ Christ answered him: ‘And with your spirit.’ He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.’
I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.
For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.
See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.
I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.
Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.”


Chris
“Something strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep.”

Father Paul
Do you have an impression of that Beth?

Mando
Is this when Jesus rises?

Father Paul
No. He is dead. When he dies…he goes down!
This writer is going to tell you why he is suggesting this strange thing between when He dies…and when he rises…Holy Saturday. Don’t miss this gap. It’s not just Good Friday and Easter Sunday. He is going into some corners and places people don’t normally go.

Beth
“The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh…”

Father Paul
God cannot die. Jesus in his humanity can die. God cannot die!

Beth
“…and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began.”

Father Paul
God has raised up all who have ever fallen asleep since the world ever began.

Beth
God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

Father Paul
This is a very strange thing going on. Does hell know what’s going on? Only God can conceive what He has done in Jesus Christ. Now the ones who have fallen asleep are waking up. Christ is going to search for our first parents. He is waking all the others

Beth
“He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep.”

Father Paul
Is this cute or what? The Good Shepherd is going way out of His way to get the original lost sheep.

Beth
“Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve.”

Father Paul
Can you imagine His Passion continuing? His Passion was not done. He went to look for His first parents. He approaches them carrying the cross…bearing their sins…to show them what He did for them…to hang their sins on the cross. He became sin for us…to hang their sin on the cross.

Bethany
He is showing them their salvation and how they are going to leave this place.

Father Paul
Can they get out of there any other way?

John
Now He becomes the tree of life.

Father Paul
They became happy campers. It was a very warm campfire!
Hell trembles with fear—it doesn’t say why---wait, we have an unexpected guest…we didn’t invite this one down here. No body is an expert on hell. We do know there is a place where people choose to stay apart from God, one way or another. We are getting Christ’s approach for whatever the devil has cooked up.

Kristal
Whatever…this chamber or that chamber…balcony or ringside…whatever…this guest was marching to His original mom and dad.

Bethany
St. Luke said he had to bind the strong man. This was the devils’ kingdom. He has bound the strong man. He [Christ] was invading their kingdom and taking it back.

Father Paul
Christ is going into the home turf of demons. He goes further and further into their kingdom. Now he is taking His cross and saying, “I am not done yet! I am going for seconds! What is for desert?” He has a one track heart.

Chris
Before Christ, was there heaven?

Father Paul
There was a possibility…maybe those who were faithful in another chamber. What we do get is Jesus says…”Let’s take it back to the original mom and dad.”

Mando
Hell is trembling with fear.

Father Paul
Jesus says, hold on Bub!

Bethany
The devil inspired all that hatred, and then he killed Christ and thought he got rid of Him.

Mando
A professor asked his students if they would tell others about Christ. Many said they would not. The professor asked if a gun was pointed to their heads, would they say that Christ was their savior? Many said, “No!”

Father Paul
Do we believe in God? God believes in us. He believed in our goodness. He believed in us. He did not die for an idea. He died because He believed in us. He would not give up on that belief.

Beth
When Adam and Eve sinned, he killed the animal to cover them. Even though they sinned, His mercy is a promise that they will be redeemed.

Father Paul
Christ shed his blood in anticipation.

Beth
After they sinned, they were truly repentant.

Scottie
“The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: ‘My Lord be with you all.’”

Father Paul
Adam, the original cries out, “The Lord be with you all!” He is encouraging everyone else. He is moved passionately conveying to his children, “The Lord be with you all!” It sounds like Adam is functioning as a priest.

Nicholas
And “Christ answered him: ‘And with your spirit.’” Before we get to that, Christ makes all of us priests….chewing on that…and with your spirit could mean a few things. Was it a response, or in addition to?

Father Paul
Hold on…here we go! We don’t know who the ancient writer is. We don’t have details, but we are free to move with it. Christ comes up to Adam and Christ is speaking to Adam on behalf of the whole family. Jesus is coming back to give it to Adam. Adam takes responsibility as father and priest. Receive what has been given to you from the Lord.

Adam says, “The Lord be with you.” His human person understands, “The Lord be with you.” as much as I know who you are. Christ knows more about who they are, their spirit. He is awakening in them a deeper capacity to come in union with God. Christ is saying something deeper with “Spirit”. Heck with saving you back the way you were…you are going to be part of divinity! We aren’t just going to clean up, we are going to bring you in union with Christ.

Joe
“He took him by the hand…”


Father Paul
Taking his dad by the hand…his dad who screwed up…we have gotten to go back to our parents and share graces Christ has given us…we help them heal.

Joe
“He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.’”

Nicholas
Is it meaningful that they call them “sleepers?”

Father Paul
In the Gospels, Christ would say, “They are sleeping.” They made fun of him saying a woman was sleeping who was really dead. Even Lazarus started to stink…[again, Christ says] he was “sleeping.”

Joe
“I am your God, who for your sake have become your son.”

John
Adam is humbled. One of his own has come to save him.

Father Paul
Also, one by one, more are coming into chambers. Adam is saying, “Oh, not another one…now here comes this guy carrying this cross…who is this one?”

Efrian
When they are in this hell, when Christ came they were all in this sleep. They must have looked to their dad.
He was the only one who knew him from Creation & Jesus knew that. He said this to them. He is with you. I am introducing him to you. That was the feeling I got. He is the one who had that relationship. If someone hurt your father, the kids avenge them. This child gave my life for you so that you too can enter into the graces.

Debbie & Krystal

“Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.“

Father Paul
He is doing this for all of us. He does it out of his own authority. The buck stops here…I am the buck!
No more foolin’ around. They are in hell…in darkness…sleeping. That is the one I like…sleeping.

Bob
At this point, he is emptying hell.

Efrian
Because love is how He did it. The other Ten Commandments were set by the Father. The last one was from Him; He went to hell for us.

Laura
“I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands…”

Father Paul
I am the original God from the old days. Down there they probably had a pretty good memory. Jesus is doing this by His own authority.

Laura
“Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you.”

Kristal & Father Paul
Jesus is in Adam because He is a descendant in Adam

Sister Sheila
Jesus has given His life for us.

Father Paul
He gave His life in our place.

Laura
“Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.”

Father Paul
Jesus says let us leave this place together…for you are in me and I am in you.
Sounds like this is Jesus’ opinion huh? Does it sound like Jesus is going to change his opinion soon? I don’t hear him saying it is His theory. I don’t hear Him saying, “Let’s try this out as a possibility….He is not telling a story asking for subscribers.”

Sister Sheila
This is very intimate and powerful; very intimate for God to be saying this to us.

Bethany
Your maker will be your husband. We are one person; we cannot separate that. Our destiny is that mystical marriage with God. I don’t think we can put our finger on it. They are entering into the mystical marriage with God.

Laura
Together we form one person. “Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.”

Father Paul
[Jesus] sounds like kind of a mad lover!


Efrian
I think it is the One Body. They are genetically the same DNA. We are One Body…One Church...this nuptial union.

Father Paul
This intimate oneness is our destiny. This is getting very real about it. [Christ said] I did not create you to be slaves. Work of my hands, you are not created for this. We are only one person. I cannot leave without you. You cannot stay without me here. There is only one here. My divine spirit is your divine spirit. This is our destiny together. I really want you to be open to this.

John D.
We become united in the light as one with Him in love and communion with Him.

Beth
Jesus is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow. I think He is doing that for us all the time. Are there others who turned away from him?

Father Paul
Why don’t we stay with the reading for now. We will come back. Let’s stay in the fullness of this, because it is the same of what Jesus is doing or calling us to do now. His longing is that our wills move with him. Let’s read what Jesus is longing to have with us.

Alex
“Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell.”

Father Paul
Anybody get a feel of this? Christ says He didn’t create us for the little La La Land we are in.
Anyone get a feel of those little places in hell within us, or the places we are asleep? Is He over the top? Is He invading?

Sister Sheila
He has just emptied Himself with love. There is nothing left of Him. Together we form one person; we cannot be separated.

Father Paul
You’re right. I almost forgot where we came from. He’s not saying, ’Come on, we are going back to the cave.” He had done this out of love. He is coming to give divine freedom, divine union to persons who do not know how to be so free. This one who has just emptied Himself says, ‘You don’t need to know how to do this, I can do it if you lighten up and allow it. If you do, I can show you how.’

Bethany
This is big to me!

Father Paul
This is big to Christ! This is whole message of salvation. This is the whole point…for us to become in union with Christ and for him to come in union with us. This is the whole point.

Beth
I think that is why people are addicted to this kind of love. They are looking for the love.

Father Paul
That is right. The threshold of addiction has this power around it, but it doesn’t go that deep.
This is our destiny, our deepest hardware. St Augustine says this is what we are meant for. He says that our hearts are restless until they rest in Him. The Sacraments are the encounter, that divine encounter, of that reality.

Ron
The Holy Spirit comes down on you in baptism. You become one with the Holy Spirit. Christ is completing it there. The whole will is that Jesus comes down.

Father Paul
In the full conformity as to the ways of God, baptism doesn’t complete it Christian development. That was worked out by His obedience. His Human nature had to line up with divine nature. We are to line up with grace from baptism. This is the on-going work of God working us into the divine nuptial union with him. We participate.

Alex
“Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.” He tells them rise three times. He is persistent in His love. He knows their hearts. [They say] “What do you mean rise? We are dead!” He knows they keep wondering how are we going to do this. I sense He is responding to what they are saying.

Father Paul
This reminds me of the blind person when Jesus made spittle and mud. The healing took place in stages. We do have resistances, but we get part of it. Jesus understands our human nature and what it takes to move us.

Alex
“For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead.”

Sister Sheila
You might say you feel so much pain, so desperate…without help.

Laura
I take it as Him speaking what His purpose was. For our sake He was created as man. He is reaffirming to them that He is there for our sake…like a man without help…He is giving us the message of what He is here for.

Josephine
When all is lost, [he is] “a man without help.” Only in God when there is no one else are you going to find help in God. Only when you have lost your right to life, only God can help you.


Father Paul
Is it okay during the day to feel like a person without help? On the cross Jesus felt like He was abandoned. I cannot help that all through the day I am a person without any help. I feel like I can’t help people. I believe that this is an incredibly awesome measure of being like Mother Teresa who felt abandoned, like Christ in that place. By grace of a mystical community, I do not have to flee where Padre Pio stayed in that place for a long time. He was willing to stay in that place of darkness.

Robert
In our existential aloneness there is no way we can get help. Mary and Mary Magdalene would like to have helped.

Father Paul
Me continuing to stay in that place and feeling as if there is no hope…it is not a bad place.

Robert
God does it to toughen us.

Father Paul
God let’s us know He is speaking deeper. Don’t be tricked by feelings. With a lot of grace on the inside I don’t have to run to other things or other feelings. I used to try other measures. I can be in union with the greater body of the church. It takes so much grace to sustain a little bit of this action. Padre Pio would feel very angry but his guardian angel would help him to trust in Christ.

Chris
“For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image.”

Father Paul
He is coming with the spit on His face. He is not the Resurrected Jesus. He is coming as He was on the cross…bloody and beaten. He is not cleaned up. Makes more sense this guy showing up as he was on the cross…Adam wasn’t being dramatic…this makes much more sense.

Chris
“On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.”

Father Paul
Someone else [Adam and Eve] reached for the tree to get a glorious experience.

Chris
“I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.”

Father Paul
What is the wound in my side? Is it my fear or when I am arrogant?

Bethany
If He is talking to Adam specifically, [Adam was to] guard the garden from something on the outside. Adam was responsible to look after his bride, Eve. Perhaps it was this heartache where “your bride fell” and Christ’s bride has been sanctified. The two verbs guard and till the garden is like the priests who were to guard the covenant. God’s command to Adam is not just [to] till and make beautiful, but guard it from the enemy. When Eve was at the tree, she had to go find Adam. Adam wasn’t doing his job. Ephesians says the Church is the Bride of Christ and sanctified by Christ. Eve came out of both sides. Adam’s bride fell from grace. Adam was wondering, What did I start? Adam wasn’t guarding the garden, and Eve was the heartache in his side. She came from his side and fell. Christ’s bride came from His side and has been sanctified.

Father Paul
For me, I want to fulfill a woman’s life, to authentically making their life right. You think you will make the family right. But in this context, who can do it? Jesus says, there isn’t that right mother, father ,child…


Rosemarie
That pain of Adam is his disobedience and compromising with going with flow of Eve. Christ went with the Father’s will to death. Generations are coming back. [Adam’s pain is] that pain of seeing them all come.

Someone recommended reading books by Scott Hahn, in particular, A Father Who Keeps His Promises . Also, the website CatholiCity.com was given as a resource for Catholic cd’s and novels.

Beth
Why can’t God get us another way? It does kind of go back to the original, to the source, the cause of the problem. It does make more sense. God is showing us the source of why he had to save us like this.

Matthew
“I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God.”

Father Paul
Ok. Somebody threw a brick through a window! How did he [the author] describe it in the beginning? Strange. This is definitely strange….would you mind reading that again? This is extreme. We want to go back to the garden. This is extreme!

Matthew re-read.
“My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God.”


Father Paul
Who is going to worship you? The angels are going to be worshiping you as God! I am not just going to have you go to heaven, but worship you. Jesus is saying, “Get used to how awesome you are.” Would you be comfortable having cherubim worshiping you? If you are humble, you will take this. Humility is truth. This is who we are as One.

John
You feel like you are not worthy.

Father Paul
This is ancient Catholic teaching, hard-core Catholic. You can see why people would skip over this “strange” story.

Rosemarie
Pilot says to Him, “You are a king.” [Jesus says that ] the reason I came was to testify to the truth, to tell us this truth; to tell us who we are. The devil gets us believing this and we keep buying his tricks. He came to tell the truth that you and I are One. One person.

Father Paul
Jesus says we are one. In my nervous system lies this fabric. I don’t want to be loved that much. I am not worthy. I don’t want the truth of who I am in Christ. I would say put me back in hell. I don’t want to be healed. I would rather burn in hell because of lies I have been told than to be in heaven worshiped by cherubim. But Jesus wants us to participate in our full inheritance. This is why we and others go back to our “drugs,” of different sorts. Our wiring pulls us to return to the darkness. We have to get used to the glory of God. It is easier to take rejection than awesome pure love. We are here to remind each other of our truth. Something in us wants to recoil the story, to say it is not this way.

Nicholas
This makes me think of suffering. Jesus endured a suffering. You need to be careful-there is this suffering you don’t have to be involved in where you are separating yourself from God. You can be present with someone in their suffering. You are suffering and you want to suffer…you don’t want help…you don’t want to be weak. This is a huge step gong to therapy. If you refuse, then you don’t admit you need help. There is a balance you need. Don’t suffer just because you hate yourself. It leads to a suffering that is inevitable. There is a de-valuing of yourself that causes suffering.

Efrian
Church teaches suffering is redemptive it you join it to Christ. To suffer just because of pain, they do it just to suffer.

Father Paul
Anyone who has a longing for suffering is twisted and sick. Anyone who prayed for Padre Pio to live longer, he considered his enemies. We stay true to the love and not the suffering, per se- in itself.

Ethan
The second Sunday of Lent is The Transfiguration. As we get ready to go into Lent, we can see the glory of God so that we can see the fullness of His love. We don’t just go in to suffer.

Father Paul
All lies are snapping. They are popping. As we stay with Christ, they keep popping. Ancestors and families start to get re-created as we move into these ways of love. There is an assembly we cannot see as we move in this way of love. It is all connected.

Krystal
Mother Teresa says love starts with a smile. It starts to open you up. It changes who you are in that moment.

Bethany
I think I have known this for years that the greatest impact I can have on people is not preaching or setting a good example, but growing in intimacy in Jesus.

Father Paul
Ding! Ding! Ding! That is the whole concept right there!

Josephine
“I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.”

Beth
That is what I heard that when we receive communion the angels adore us because we have received Him.

Father Paul
Jesus takes it real deep. The angels are adoring Y O U. We always want to deflect that they are adoring Him. He says, “No, they are adoring you!”

Bethany
Aren’t we worshiped because we are divinized in Him?

Father Paul
Yes, it is His divinity. They are worshiping Christ. He has become One with His bride. Don’t keep moving it back to Christ. Get back to full focus. If you don’t, the devil will steal your inheritance! Take your inheritance. Don’t take part [of it or] you will be enslaved again. Take the whole thing. What will they trick you with…some belonging…some affirmation…what can he trick you with? There is nothing else [if you take your full inheritance!]

Beth
Is part of the torment [of hell that] you realize what you have lost or what you could have had?

Father Paul
There are parts in me that I don’t really believe what Christ is doing in me. I am in my own little hell. So, we don’t want to speculate what others are experiencing in hell. I know when others are living in this kind of love, it affects people here and there. So, I think like Bethany said, the best way to experience it is to experience that love. St. Therese, The Little Flower stopped being a hero. She let Christ start living in her and in love with her. She was forgetting about other souls and experiencing this nuptial agreement directly. For me, it is much easier to go off and do something for the Lord than to encounter this intimacy and let is set me free and express itself. [ I have to be willing to] feel helpless and let this intimacy go through me and be ok with this feeling. What makes me “feel” better is to go back to the dungeon. [That is easier than to] stay in direct action and true intimacy. It makes me feel like I need to grab someone and go get tangled up again. Then I act like a brat to tangle myself again. You can be free to stay in love virtuously, morally, and simply in the kingdom of God. It doesn’t necessarily look like anything very interesting is happening.

Closing prayer.

Peace be with you! Please join us for the next meeting.