Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Third Eye Blind

 



I think St. Paul in one of his letters to the Corinthians likened gossip as some form of spiritual assassination, in that case I am in a den of fire with a pack of robber barons. The location of this ‘den’ will remain to be seen; as I watch those close to me frolic on pins and needles with those who breathe such noxious fumes I shudder to see what the future has in store for him on all levels of human mortality (physical, spiritual, and mental). If only the common man/woman on the street knew the ramifications of their actions, and that we  that we live in a universe where every action has a
reaction. Now you may retort; then Bikim why do ’good’ people die of cancer? To that I can only respond, death is not the end. It is this type of binary thinking that has stunted the growth of the modern church for the past century.       


If St. Paul got his illuminated scepter from Christ then what was he saying about kats that assassinated the souls of the innocent? On a mountainside just off the river Jordan Christ talks to among his disciples, and a small crowd. In what is most notably the beatitudes (Matt 7:1-6) he tells the group to stop looking for a speck in his brother’s eye and ignoring the plank in his own; interesting language for a carpenter? Perhaps he’s trying to say you shouldn’t throw stones ‘if you live in a glass house?’ I am sure if he had the vernacular he would have used it. Later in his musings on the artistry of hypocrisy he likens hypocrites to hogs; saying “do not throw pearls to pigs. If you do they mat trample them under their feet. And tear them to pieces.” I am sure Jesus had nothing against pigs (although he was a practicing Jew, he didn’t eat them); there’s a Proverb(Proverb 4:23) that says guard your heart, it the source of life. Among many I believe this is one of the ranking instructions from the creator to all of humanity before departing the heavens to experience this existence.  


What can we say of Pearls? The world is your oyster? Only the pursuit for those of  us who reside in the United States. I am not saying ignore the ignorant, but  I am advising that you treat them like a sloppy drunk driver on a slippery winter road. If you have any to spear perhaps you could drop a few ‘pearls’ of wisdom, but if you ever skimmed proverbs we know how fools react to good medicine.