The entire Old Testament after Babel is the preface to God’s return, with the pivot point being Mary. Through the Incarnation, we learn that God will restore his rule, and remove the evil powers. Tolkein fans should recognize this immediately because we are living in part three, “The Return of the King.” We are living in the Messianic Age now. Also, for anyone who wonders why Mary is such a big deal to Catholics and Orthodox folks, it’s because without her there is no return of the king. She is the turning point in this story, the Mother of God. She’s kind of a big deal, as in, the biggest deal ever, as she is the true gate that brings God to us.

Christ came to do several things: to take away our sins, transform our suffering, destroy death, and ultimately defeat the demonic powers. He came to wrest power away from those spirits that rule our lives and the nations. Again, he did not come to remove all suffering. We still have to deal with that for now.

As for the pain and suffering that doesn’t make sense, the only God that ever came down and suffered with his subjects is the God of Israel, the God who came to us. This is how and why suffering is transformed in Christ. A common question is: How can God allow suffering? How could he do this to me? That is exactly when we can look to Jesus, to God himself, who came here in the flesh and suffered a brutal and terrible death on the cross. Until you understand this, and how Christianity works, suffering will probably never make sense to you. You will cry out, “Why, God, why?” even as you stare at a crucifix with Jesus looking right back at you.

Not only Christ suffered, but his own mother did as well. Those closest to him suffered. His immediate followers, his chosen twelve, almost all suffered horrible deaths. They were so hungry that they ate barley right out of the field. Mocked and scorned, they had to hide and endure prison. Millions of his followers have suffered, not in fear or self-pity, but with strength, and some even with joy. All of the saints have imitated Jesus and experienced profound meaning in that suffering, giving incredible hope and rebirth to people who were once spiritually dead. That is why Christianity does not die, nor will it ever. The only God of any religion that came here to suffer like one of us is that of Jesus Christ who voluntarily carried his cross and showed us the meaning of redemptive suffering. This is the only religion that even makes sense when we can see how much pain is in the world. It is only the person of Christ who can turn a cross into a gift. Self-salvation is a fool’s game. The Under Armor marketing team almost has it right, even though they just shoplifted their slogan from Christianity. The t-shirt and shoe company assures us that “The only way is through.” The way to what, Under Armor? A trophy? A scholarship? Forget such trifles.

If you want to get to heaven stop trying to construct a gate or a tower of yourself. Stop chasing drugs and sex. Quit wasting your time on something that will impress your peers or massage your lonely ego for a few hours. The original saying is from St. Rose of Lima and a hundred other Christian writers. The only way is through the cross. Says St. Rose of Lima: “Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.” (CCC 618)

We will all get to learn on the last day where the gate we are looking for is located, and it is not a gate or a ladder or a tower. The cross is the narrow gate, and following Christ is the way.

The spiritual rebirth found in Christ happens every day. These are modern miracles. You can watch it happen when the penny finally drops and everything connects. Our modern mental health crisis has a single cause: it is taking the exit off of the Via Dolorosa to hit the drive-thru at McDonalds. The cure is to be re-enchanted with life, with struggle, with purpose, and the therapist needed is available for free, any time, any where, and so is his mother, who can take notes for you and deliver them to the therapist for you.

When people are released from their bondage of self, something happens, and you can hear the reborn person tell you, “Something was lifted off me,” or “I don’t know how to explain what happened to me, but I am no longer the same.” What they are describing surpasses science, as no pill or therapy can explain what has happened. But once you see it enough times, you know there is something spiritual happening, and when these miracles occur, a prisoner is being released from the enemy, returned from exile to the side of God.

What we don’t realize in our day to day movements is that we are in the middle of a war.

This is difficult to accept for modern people because much legwork has been done to confuse and steer us away from this fact.

We are in a war. This is a war far bigger and longer-lasting than any human war. And this war has claimed billions of people already. We have been in a war our entire lives, just as your parents were in the same war, and your parents’ parents were as well. The sooner you recognize this, the sooner you can do something to change not only your life, but your entire “language” of life. Once you recognize this war, the lens through which you see everything changes dramatically.

This war is not with people. In other words, people are not the enemy.

If you were lucky enough to be baptized, you are already armed for this battle. But the battle is not against other people. In fact, if you think the war is against other people, like Democrats or Republicans, or Packers fans versus Bears fans, you don’t yet understand how this war works. You are still in the darkness, being distracted, diverted, divided, and deceived by a spirit. The prison still has you.

Consider this question: When and why does Jesus get angry in the Gospels?

He does not show anger at the lost, the mentally ill, the blind, the diseased, the fools, or the poor. For us today (take note Republicans) that means: Jesus shows no anger at the crazy, the ignorant, the legitimate people in need, the immigrants, the addicts, the prostitutes, and the working poor. But notice (take note Democrats) that Jesus also doesn’t get mad at the middle-class, nor does he talk down to the uneducated, or those who carry swords, or those who work in construction.

Even if no one wore collars in those days, we know that Matthew maps to a businessman today while Peter maps to a tradesman. Jesus lives among both the wealthy and the poor, the soldiers and the pacifists, all within his Chosen twelve apostles. That alone should speak to you. The women of his inner circle - take Joanna, Martha, and Mary for instance - were all different, with varying personalities, wealth, and backgrounds.

Jesus shows sadness for those who suffer. But he only shows anger at certain people.

Most obviously, he shows anger at the religious hypocrites who love their self and reputation over God. He gets angry at the money changers who defile God by using the Temple like a Wal-Mart. He also tends to scold the wealthy often. And he shows anger at Peter, even calling him Satan, when Peter tries to stop Jesus’ from going to the Cross. In light of this, it’s not surprising that Jesus doesn’t get mad at Judas when he learns of his betrayal. I guess it should go without saying that Jesus, fully divine and fully human, knew everything that would happen.

Given that he knows everything, and reads everyone’s heart, when Jesus gets mad at someone, he is sending a message. Notice that he doesn’t stay mad at anyone either, but only rebukes them.

So what is it that Jesus gets angry at? Is it the people? Does the Pharisee, who is a body and a soul, anger him?

No.

He is angry at their failure to fight the spiritual combat. He expects more of them because they have been given much, but have been led astray, blinded by worldly things. First, he wants them to love God, as they do strive for, and second, he wants them to help the orphan and the widow, to care for the weak and the poor. They have caved into pride, and pulled the old trick of worshipping the self while calling it God. It’s so easy to do, and most tempting for those in the elite or wealthy classes of society. Here’s the thing: God loves the Pharisee just as much as the tax collector and the prostitute, but he expects the educated and comfortable Pharisee to do more, to reach out, to go all-out Mother Theresa on this world.

The spirit of darkness has overtaken those at whom he expresses anger. They have failed to convert daily to God in their Spiritual Combat. Jesus does not mince words in saying that those who are given much will have much demanded of them. The Pharisees are those blessed with intellect, education, and the ability to interpret scripture and preach God’s word, but they have forgotten their own orders: to be servants. That is the problem. They serve themselves under the guise of loving God.

They are Ben Franklin saying, “God helps those who help themselves.” That is the spiritual lie whispered in their ear that they have not rebuked and cast out. The Pharisees can cast demons out of others, but the ones that Jesus’ scolds have not yet cast the demons out of the themselves, because they are not fighting the spiritual fight. Jesus can tell immediately who is lying, because he knows their hearts. He knows all hearts. Those who have not been given much - the poor, the refugee, the addicts, the mad - don’t have the capacity to serve, because they can barely survive with what they have. But the Pharisees and the wealthy have the capacity to serve, and choose not to.

The people that Jesus scolds are supposed to know they are living in a combat zone. He gets angry at those who have been granted the gift of faith, but do not share it with others. They reject their duty as servants, trading up for the fool’s jewels of ambition, reputation, honor, and glory. Pride is the root cause of everything that goes haywire in the Bible, from the Garden to the Cross.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whydidpetersink.substack.com