<div dir="ltr">Thank you Art, I really loved this reflection, it was very powerful and timely!<div><br></div><div>Peace</div><div><br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><font size="2">Greg</font></div></div><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sun, Jan 28, 2024 at 2:46 AM Arthur Blomme via craic <<a href="mailto:craic@lists.integralshift.ca">craic@lists.integralshift.ca</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-style:solid;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><u></u>
<div>
<p>Hi y' all <br>
</p>
<p>This is my reflection on Jan 27 Sunday gospel. <br>
</p>
<p>Art<br>
</p>
<hr width="100%" size="2">
<h3><br>
</h3>
<h3>He commands even the demons and they obey him.</h3>
<div align="right">Arthur Blomme 24-01-24<br>
</div>
<br>
<p style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"> </span></p>
<p style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">In this Sunday's gospel according to Mark,
Jesus begins his journey to Jerusalem by casting <span style="border:medium">out the<span style="border:medium">
unclean spirit in the temple at Capernaum. This event has
little meaning in <span style="border:medium">our society
today. Ours is a technocratic worldview <span style="border:medium">characterized </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">b<span style="border:medium">y<span style="border:medium"> <span style="border:medium">a<span style="border:medium"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">mechanistic<span style="border:medium"> view of science coupled with a world
view <span style="border:medium">that makes<span style="border:medium"> the material so much more important
than mind and spirit. For the most part our society
considers the Demonic to be a fiction<span style="border:medium">al superstition. This kind of
thinking obscures the horrendous reality of evil in
our midst.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial,sans-serif" lang="EN-US"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:repeat white;border:medium"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">In contrast the worldview of early
Christianity was unified and holistic. Matter</span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">,</span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium"> mind and spirit are part of a continuum
that is </span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">a<span style="border:medium">s<span style="border:medium"> <span style="border:medium">a<span style="border:medium"> <span style="border:medium">w<span style="border:medium">h<span style="border:medium">o<span style="border:medium">l<span style="border:medium">e<span style="border:medium">,</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium"> real and important. In this <span style="border:medium">worldview</span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">,</span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium"> the<span style="border:medium"> casting out
of demons was a much more meaningful part of Marks Gospel
story than perhaps we experience today.<span style="border:medium"> For the early readers of Mark's
Gospel demonic evil was a very real consideration.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:repeat white;border:medium"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">In this Sunday's gospel reading, it is
apparent that the demon is separate from the humanity of the
individual possessed by the unclean spirit. The unclean
spirit was a <span style="border:medium">no<span style="border:medium">nhuman<span style="border:medium">
being. For the early Christian, humanity was created in
the image and likeness of a loving God. To be human is
to have compassion, to know good from evil and have a
conscience. We speak of barbarous events as inhumane,
non human. </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:repeat white;border:medium"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">Our thinking of psychopathy is<span style="border:medium"> similar to the thinking of demons in
Mark's gospel. Psychopaths have no conscience or
compassion. We sometime</span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">s</span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium"> speak of psychopaths as inhumane. Like
the demonic, psychopathy thrives in the shadows. When we
shine the light of truth on psychopathy the po<span style="border:medium">wer of the psychopath is diminished. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:repeat white;border:medium"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">Early Christianity saw the demonic in the
social institutions. St. Mark's version of the crucifixion
tells the story of how all the major political institutions of
his day: the high priest, the Herodians<span style="border:medium"> <span style="border:medium">(Roman <span style="border:medium">proxys), the<span style="border:medium"> <span style="border:medium">scribes,
the pharisees and the zealots<span style="border:medium"> <span style="border:medium">(Judas
Iscariot) conspired to crucify Jesus. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:repeat white;border:medium"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">Institutions are not human and they have a
life of their own. When acting on behalf of these institutions
it is easy to go with the flow <span style="border:medium">and
set<span style="border:medium"> aside one's compassion and <span style="border:medium">humanity to serve the ends of the
institution. This is how we can become <span style="border:medium">possessed<span style="border:medium">
by the institution and participate in its
psycopathy. When good people do nothing the
psychopathy of the institution prevails.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:repeat white;border:medium"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">The psychopathy of war is so well hidden
by the <span style="border:medium">false stories<span style="border:medium"> we are being told by a mainstream
media. W<span style="border:medium">e often fail to
recognize the atrocious evil of war. There is the adage:
“The first victim of war is the truth”. Now we are in
perpetual</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium"> </span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">war and the stories justifying atrocities
are so thin. The stories being told about war cannot fool all
of humanity. The </span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">d<span style="border:medium">o<span style="border:medium">m<span style="border:medium">i<span style="border:medium">n<span style="border:medium">a<span style="border:medium">n<span style="border:medium">t<span style="border:medium">
<span style="border:medium">narrative<span style="border:medium"> can no longer </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">contain the truth of these demonic acts.</span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:repeat white;border:medium"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">Attesting to this point is the demonic
genocide and the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. Last week South
Africa invoked the </span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">W<span style="border:medium">orld <span style="border:medium">C</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">ourt </span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">o<span style="border:medium">f<span style="border:medium"> <span style="border:medium">J<span style="border:medium">u<span style="border:medium">s<span style="border:medium">t<span style="border:medium">i<span style="border:medium">c<span style="border:medium">e<span style="border:medium"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">to indict Israel for genocide in Gaza. In
the opening statement </span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">S</span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">outh<span style="border:medium"> Africa
sites Netanyahu's use of ancient Jewish scripture to assert
his intention to slaughter every man woman and child of Moab<span style="border:medium"> (Palestine<span style="border:medium">).
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:repeat white;border:medium"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">Despite the overwhelming evidence that
this slaughter of men</span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">,</span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium"> women and children is taking place our
Canadian gover<span style="border:medium">nment joins with other
Western leaders to claim that there is no genocide in Gaza.
Clearly our western leaders are possessed by an unclean
spirit. They have no compassion for our Palestinian brothers
and sisters. They have lost all sense of their humanity.<br>
<br>
<span style="border:medium">The genocide of the Palestinian
people is only the obvious, the tip of the iceburg. If we
<span style="border:medium">push back further the veils of
deception</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">,</span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium"> we can uncover so many more demonic
atrocities perpetrated by our demon possessed national and
world leaders. It is ou<span style="border:medium">r fear that
keeps these demons in the shadows.<br>
<br>
<span style="border:medium">The good news is that we have no
need to fear the power of </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">d<span style="border:medium">e<span style="border:medium">m<span style="border:medium">o<span style="border:medium">n<span style="border:medium">s<span style="border:medium"> <span style="border:medium">o<span style="border:medium">r<span style="border:medium">
<span style="border:medium">p<span style="border:medium">s<span style="border:medium">y<span style="border:medium">c<span style="border:medium">h<span style="border:medium">o<span style="border:medium">p<span style="border:medium">a<span style="border:medium">t<span style="border:medium">h<span style="border:medium">s</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">. When the unclean spirit </span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">encounters </span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">the<span style="border:medium"> Light of the
Universal Christ</span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">:</span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium"> </span></span><span style="border:medium"><span style="border:medium">... the unclean
spirit convulsed and with a loud cry came <span style="border:medium">out of him. All were amazed and asked
one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”(Mk.
1:26-27)</span></span></span><span style="border:medium"></span></p>
<div style="border-width:medium medium 1pt;border-style:none none solid;border-color:currentcolor currentcolor rgb(68,114,196);padding:31pt 31pt 4pt;margin-left:46.8pt;margin-right:46.8pt"> </div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:repeat white;border:medium"><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">This is our faith. Christ is <span style="border:medium">resurrected</span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium"> and victorious over </span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">death and the demonic psychopathy of war</span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium"> <span style="border:medium">a<span style="border:medium">n<span style="border:medium">d<span style="border:medium"> <span style="border:medium">a<span style="border:medium">v<span style="border:medium">a<span style="border:medium">r<span style="border:medium">i<span style="border:medium">c<span style="border:medium">e</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"><span style="border:medium">.</span></span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(29,34,40);border:medium"></span></p>
</div>
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