Jerusalem and The Finger of God

This article called Jerusalem and The Finger of God is about the experiences and pictures of a trip I did to the Holy Land back in February 2014. It was the year 2013, during the month of October, when a teacher at the school where I used to work told me that they were planning a trip to the Holy Land, for a week. The 2013 was a very challenging and life changing year for me, taking during its course many of the decisions that have deeply marked the second part of my existence and beyond. The preparation for this journey to Jerusalem, which took place in February 2014, was probably one of them. I did enjoy visiting Israel and Palestine, together with a group of 12 other people, all catholic. I was the only one who visited the Dome of the Rock

The picture below is me. At the back, the Dome of the Rock where inside there is the bedrock that supported the Jewish Temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 ad, below me, under my feet, the Holy of Holies, the cave where Jews pray just like on the Western Wall. Around me the area where Jesus must have walked in and out of the Temple since his childhood, when visiting Jerusalem for Passover and such. Above me....just peaceful blue sky

This was the itinerary of the trip:

• Jerusalem, day 1
• Jerusalem, day 2 and 3
• Masada
• Tiberias, day 1
• Tiberias, day 2 and 3

The Finger of God, and its Gospels

• Reading of the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew
• Reading of the Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark
• Reading of the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke
• Reading of the Holy Gospel according to Saint John

The Nativity scene

Jerusalem, day 1

Needless to say, it is a city full of History. I read the book "Jerusalem: The Biography"  by Simon Sebag Montefiore (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem:_The_Biography), a superb reading that without any doubt allowed me to enjoy the city visit more and appreciate what I was seeing. Having said that, I did not like Jerusalem, not the historic center that I saw. All the houses, all the roads, all the ceilings were made of stone, wood was nowhere to be found. I saw people of all different sort of religions without love from one another, all the streets that I saw had been splashed with innocent blood in the past. To me, Jerusalem is not the glorious city where you redeem your sins or where you have a spiritual makeover, etc. I had the impression at the end of my couple of days visit that Jerusalem was just the place that Jesus chose to die. Though nobody can't denied its ample past, the city itself does not seem to be welcoming anyone or anything in a positive light, it is just a pile of stones where some day someone just got killed

Our Hotel (Panorama Hotel) was on the East side of the city, from where we could see the famous Golden Gate. In the morning of the first day we enter the city by Lion's Gate, walked across the Via Dolorosa and spent quite a bit of time inside the most strange building I've ever visited on my whole life: the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, with a hill inside, underground chambers and intricate chapels all over the place, it looks like an spaghetti of different architectures through the ages. Then we visited the Tower of David, the King David's Tomb and a walked all around the old city until we reached the Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center, where we ended up the day having good coffee. I am a devoted of the Holy Shroud, and back in 2010 I went with my girlfriend at the time (Mercedes) to Turin to see the exposition that happened back then. And guess what? In the Notre Dame Hotel they just happens to have a museum of it, with a 3D representation of the image of the Shroud... coincidence?

Just before we headed back to the Hotel, one of the member of the party (Daniel, from Poland) played the organ at Notre Dame very beautifully, he indeed got lot of talent!

Jerusalem, day 2 and 3

Early morning on the second day we left the Hotel in Jerusalem and packed a mini-bus full of other local people that were going to Palestine too, for work I suppose. Entering Palestine was no problem at all, the drive was smooth and on the check point between the countries we just passed right through. We spent the day in Bethlehem, in the Church of the Nativity and its surroundings. The entrance to the Church is very narrow, and you have to literally bend yourself over to enter. They did that on purpose, to prevent horses from coming into the Church and in a way preserving it to our days and prevent spoil and pillage when in times of war and/or invasion.

I saw the Israeli West Bank Barrier, disgraceful construction really. The concrete as a symbol of the selfish human beings. Funny to think that towards God there are crying on a wall, while towards their countrymen the build a divisive wall. On our way back to Jerusalem, our mini-bus was stopped by Israeli Police and two younger girls, in their early twenties, came inside our mini-bus. They were pretty hot, and their uniform was tight. Being so young, they had a lovely figure, and they wore cute sunglasses and each one of them have their Uzi pistol kind of loose of their holster. They hand-picked a few of the Palestinian that were travelling with us in the mini-bus, all of them of the very same age as them, and took them out for a 20' chat. It happens one of the Palestinian that was taken out was sitting right next to me. When he finally came back I asked him what has happened, why the Police has to question him for so long, and with a broken voice he told me: "Every day, every day like this", stopped for 20' on this way to work by pretty young Israeli soldiers

It was just after the sunrise of the second day, before we head out to Bethlehem that I sneaked out from the group and visited the Dome of the Rock, Al-Aqsa Mosque, on my own

Masada

One summer, back in the 80s, when I was a child, I suffered a strong fever of some sort, and remember being sick yet still watching a mini-TV Series called "Masada", starring among other actors with Peter O'Toole. Maybe because of the fever of whatever, but the thing is that I felt a strange and strong fascination with the rock of Masada ever since, the last stand the Jews did against the Romans back in the revolt of 73 AD, and when this journey gave me the opportunity to step into Masada.... that was literally a dream of a lifetime that came true. I always dreamt of visiting this place. The uprising of the Jews in 73 AD was predicted by Jesus, 40 years earlier at the time of his death. During the revolt, the Jews population was decimated and Jerusalem was lost forever to the Jews, and has never been truly theirs ever since (and probably won't be until the end of time). Masada is a magnificent natural fortress, no army would have never defeat unless.... of course, that army happens to be the Roman 10th Legion, a formidable enemy and the only one with enough determination to conquer Masada. Yet.... the Jews had the last word: no man would be capture alive. This short video shows what happened at Masada in 73 AD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11iPrDv8aBE

Right after the visit to the Fortress, we drove to the Ein Gedi and bath in the Dead Sea. It was in here where I fell in love with a soap made at the Dead Sea, that immediately felt really good on my skin, and have been using it ever since: Glycering Soap, https://www.judaicawebstore.co.uk/sea-of-spa-dead-sea-minerals-glycerin-soap-for-soft-and-smooth-skin

I was not allowed to carry the camera into the beach, so have very little pictures of that swim in the Dead Sea, but I can tell you the following:

• There is SALT all over the place, the beaches are made of pure salt instead of sand, so wear proper footwear otherwise your feet will bleed to death
• Do not swim on the Dead Sea, if you splash a lot you can potentially get water into your eyes, and if that happens that's end of the game: there is no fresh water around to remove the salt from your eyes
• Yes, you do float indeed, but you have to stay still and with your legs and arms extended. It is really difficult to "flip over", so if you are floating with the your head up after a while the sun burns your face (the salt crystals on the water act as a magnifying glass), and if you 'swim' with your head down, it is only so much that your neck can maintain your head up, so please keep close to the shore otherwise you might actually die of exhaustion if you dare to adventure in the open sea
• Try this when you are at the Dead Sea, this is amazing: go the sea up to your knees , then wash your hands in the Dead Sea with the eyes closes, and see the feeling! The water is so rich in minerals that it feels like oil!

Tiberias, day 1

In our fifth day we drove all the way up along the 90 motorway, following the river Jordan up to its birth place at the foot of the Sea of Galilee. As we were going up north, the scenery was changing gradually but dramatically to a much beautiful landscape, greener lands and lighter vibrations.... yes! That area around the Sea of Galilee is absolutely stunning, no wonder he chose that part of this Universe to arrive on this planet, way much nicer than Jerusalem and its desserts around it. I highly recommend to visit "Magdala", an archaeological site dated from the time of Jesus Christ where, after the built a Church, they discovered an ancient road date from the 1st century, a road which Jesus must have walked as he roamed the area often

This was the trip road that we did on that day. When we stopped at Yardenit Baptismal Site by the River Jordan, I recorded a video of some people getting baptise, see it below!

Tiberias, day 2 and 3

During all those days of the journey, I was sharing the hotel room with my very good friend Simon, and me being an early bird I always got up earlier than him, and while I was getting ready and exited for the day ahead, etc, he was still in bed, lazy, lazy and only managed to get up at the very last minute for not to miss breakfast in whichever hotel/hostel we were staying. It turns out that the roles swapped on our very last day of the trip, when I was exhausted and decided to sleep just for a bit longer on that day. He woke up, on that very last day, when we had barely 12 hours left in Israel, something like at 6am, very nervous, and asked me to companion him to visit Caesarea Philippi, about an hour and a bit driving from where we were staying; we were to do that without telling anyone, using one of the cars that we were renting.... What??!?? Simon!! Please, let me sleep. He insisted, and I had to go with him in spite of my bad humour and the constant nagging telling him that this was a very, very bad idea

Caesarea Philippi was the place where Jesus presented himself to his disciples (Matthew 16:13) as the true Son on God, and from then I think it started slowly walking towards Jerusalem to find his ultimate redemption: the Passion of Christ. In spite of the importance of the site, I was acting as a child and telling Simon that we should go back, we should go back, etc, that that journey so early in the morning was pointless, etc... This adventure was a real lesson for me, for my ego, what a lesson of humbleness! The place where Simon took was absolutely magical, and the video that I recorded of the Bania Waterfall.... for me it was such a breathtaking surprise, one of the highlights of the whole journey

The Finger of God, and its Gospels

The Finger of God, mentioned in Luke 11:20, as you probably have already guessed, is nothing but the extension of God: Jesus the Christ, the Master or "JC" as sometimes I like to call him. The Ancient Covenant (Alianza) was made between God and Abraham/Moses, and it was done with the blood of animals, through the sacrifices of pigeons and birds, being the peak of that moment when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac for God, but last minute it was put off by an angel of God (Genesis 22:9-12). In the New Covenant, most well-known as the New Testament, the blood that is spill is that of Jesus Christ for the benefit of the human race, so that we all can witness and feel repulse and disgust for "the dead of a good man", contemplating during the process of the Passion many of the nasty as well as the beautiful feelings that we all humans have, and that lead us to take action depending of course of whichever feeling you chose to act upon, the choice is always yours

I tend to read the Gospels every now and then, particularly St John, which I find the most interesting and engaging of them all. I read them usually during Lent (Cuaresma), the 40 days of reflection that Christians have before Good Friday, to commemorate the 40 days JC spent in the dessert, kind of meditation-retreat before he started his mission. By all means, I do not consider myself a Christian, I do not follow the Church or recognise it as the authority of God on planet Earth, but I truly believe Jesus was someone remarkable and special. I do enjoy the reading of the Gospels, and recommend them to everyone whether they are religions or not. This chapter of The Finger of God is all about me mentioning some sections of the Gospels that I find most intriguing and stimulating

But before jumping into that, let's look in detail at a feature of the landscape around the Sea of Galilee, a feature that undoubtedly Jesus would have known very well: the Mount Arbel

Many things would have changed in the 2,000 after the life of JC, but surely he'll recognise this landscape wherever and whenever he is presented with. Trees would have grown and died, roads would have moved, houses and villages changed completely, but the landscape, even though that also changes.... that would remain exactly the same for million of years, so when you look at Mount Arbel... behold! You're looking at the same thing Jesus would have seen and love

I am Spanish, and I read the Gospels on my mother tongue. The book I use to read is actually the only book... I've ever stolen....yes, I confess that I did steal this book from All Saints Pastoral Centre, where I lived in there for a year, working as an au-pair back in 1997. It was the only book in Spanish lost in one of the many book-shelf that populated the corridors of All Saints Pastoral Centre. It was written in the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla, to which I have passed and rested just a few months earlier while doing El Camino de Santiago.... was it meant to be? Was this only Spanish-language book on the shelf waiting for me?

Reading of the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew (Mateo)

This Gospel is by far the longest and most comprehensive, it is use a lot by the Church on its readings. The world of dreams and the supernatural is very present in this Gospel. where the narrator puts emphasis on the prophets (particularly Isaiah -Isaias- ) and the prophecies that have been fulfilled by the arrival of Jesus, thus giving him authority as the Messiah and the right inheritance of the Pentateuch and other books in the Bible (Vulgata version). The Massacre of the Innocents (Santos Inocentes) is only mentioned on this Gospel, again, to fulfil the prediction of an ancient prophecy. St Matthew was one of the apostles of Jesus, therefore some of the events that he describes in his Gospel, he must have witness them himself. There are many parabolas in this Gospel and events that, of course, are repeated again in the other Gospels

In this Gospel, God speaks in dreams to Joseph in a few occasions, to tell him not to reject his wife (Matthew 1:20), a very convincing and sound advice that fits perfectly on the later believe that Jesus was born out of a virgin. Without any doubt, Jesus was inside Maria's utero, so He must have been born just like all the children did at that time: right-out of the genitalia of his mother. Where does it come the Church's need to believe that Jesus was not engendered or born like us, and yet emphasise that He embraced the mortal life just like we all are bound to do? This contradiction implies a hidden rejection of our sexuality, our sacred sexuality that is needed to maintain our species and that, really and truly, enabled us a direct path to God. This profound inconsistency in the teaching of the Church caused me lot of pain and distress in my younger years, and it was one of the first "cracks" that made me believe the Church is nothing but an agreed representation of Jesus's teaching, just like I or yourself may have our own representation of it. If Jesus was mortal, He was a truly mortal man just like you and me, though having said that, He indeed was very different from all of us, and has something inside him that makes him unique. Here are some of the reading of this Gospel that I'd like to mention:

• Matthew 7:7 Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you'll find, knock and the door will be opened for you (Pedid y se os dará; buscad y encontrareis; llamad y se os abrirá) # This is just the way Life is, you need to actively pursue your dreams and desires so to activate the cosmic laws of Attraction, Cause and Effect, Vibration, Transmutation, etc, we need to exercise our will to achieve things
  
  • Luke 11:9 So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened (Así os digo yo: pedid y se os dará, buscad y hallareis, llamad y se os abrirá. Porque todo aquel que pide recibe, y el que busca, halla, y al que llame se le abrirá)
• Matthew 7:16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thorn-bushes or figs from thistles? (Por sus frutos los conoceréis. ¿Por ventura se cogen uvas de las espinas, o higos de los abrojos?) # Yet another almighty true, no matter how sweet people or things can sound to your ears, it is what they do what really counts
• Matthew 9:17 Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into wineskins and both are preserved (Ni se echa vino nuevo en pellejos viejos, porque se rompen los pellejos y se derrama el vino y los pellejos se pierden; sino que el vino nuevo se echa en pellejos nuevos y uno y otro se conserva) # This example that Jesus gives, to me it means that we ought to embrace new knowledge with a new mind
• Matthew 9:29 Then He touched their eyes and said: according to your faith it will be done (Entonces toco sus ojos, diciendo: hágase con vosotros según vuestra fe) # Such a powerful statement, you believe and it will be done just as you believe
• Matthew 10:12 As you enter the home, greet its occupants. If the home is worthy, let your peace rest on it; but if it is not, let your peace return to you (Y cuando entréis en la casa, salúdala diciendo: la paz sea en esta casa. Y si aquella casa fuere digna de ella vendrá sobre ella vuestra paz, pero si no fuera digna, vuestra paz se volverá a vosotros) # Cause and Effect, and a mention to karma here too?
  • Luke 10:5 Whatever house you enter, begin by saying, ‘Peace to this house.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you (En cualquier casa que entréis, decid antes todas cosas: la paz sea en esta casa. Y si hubiere allí algún hijo de la paz, descansará sobre el vuestra paz, pero sino volverá ella a vosotros)
• Matthew 10:16 Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves (Mira que yo os envío como ovejas en medio de lobos, sed pues prudentes como las serpientes y sencillos como las ovejas) # Isn't this a contradiction to put your other cheek ready for a slap? In any case, I love the comparison: prudent like a snake and humble like a dove
• Matthew 10:34 Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword (No penséis que vine a traer la paz a la tierra, no vine a traer paz sino guerra) # The fight is within ourselves, our ego and the needs of the flesh
• Matthew 11:25-26 At that time Jesus declared, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight" (En aquel tiempo dijo Jesús: Padre, Señor del Cielo y de la tierra, alábate porque ocultaste estas cosas a los sabios y prudentes, y las relevaste a los pequeñuelos. Si, Padre, porque así fue de tu agrado) # He is talking here as if referring to the past, does He really see time all at once?
• Matthew 12:7 If only you had known the meaning of  "I desire mercy, not sacrifice," you would not have condemned the innocent (Y si supierais que significa: la misericordia quiero y no el sacrificio, nunca hubierais condenado a unos inocentes) # How was the Inquisition created based on Jesus? It just cannot be, hence another reason to believe the Church do not have the claim of truly representing Jesus, the Son of God, on our planet, like many people would say
• Matthew 12:30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters (El que no está conmigo esta contra mí, y el que no recoge conmigo, desparrama) # If you don't do the good in life and what your hearts tells you, inevitable you're doing the wrong. Our Life are made of time, and decisions are the driven backbone of it
• Matthew 12:33 Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure (O decid que el árbol es bueno y su fruto es bueno, o decid que el árbol es malo y su fruto malo, porque por el fruto se conoce el árbol. Raza de víboras, ¿cómo podéis hablar cosas buenas, siendo malos? porque de lo que abunda el corazón habla la boca. El hombre bueno saca cosas buenas de un buen tesoro, y el hombre malo saca cosas malas de un mal tesoro) # I always found this advice to be true every single time you applied it, just look around you and listen carefully to people: they always speak of what their hearts are full of
  
  • Luke 6:43 No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. (Porque no es buen árbol el que da malos frutos, ni árbol malo el que da buen fruto)
• Matthew 12:39 Jesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah (Él les respondió diciendo: La generación mala y adultera busca un milagro, y no se le dará más milagro que el milagro del Profeta Jonás) # The resurrection? is that the only miracle that we, future generation, are allowed to have? the Santa Sindone, Shroud of Turin? He repeats himself in Matthew 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. Then He left them and went away (Esta generación mala y adultera busca un prodigio, y no se le dará más prodigio que el del Profeta Jonás. Y dejándoles se fue) # So, He really means it
• Matthew 13:32 Although it is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches (El cual, a la verdad [el grano de mostaza], es el más pequeño de todas las semillas, pero en creciendo es mayor que todas las legumbres y se hace árbol, de suerte que viene las aves del cielo, y habitan en sus ramas) # From the simplicity of the very small, great complex systems evolve
• Matthew 14:31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and took hold of Peter. "You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?” (Y al instante extendiendo Jesús la mano le cogió, y le dijo: hombre de poca fe, ¿por qué has dudado?) # Peter would have been able to walk over the waters as long as he believed it he could actually do it
• Matthew 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Y a ti te daré las llaves del Reino de los Cielos, y todo lo que atares sobre la tierra será también atado en los Cielos, y todo lo que desates sobre la tierra será también desatado en los cielos) # This is where He delegates some power to Peter, and the Church will use this to justify its existence and legitimacy, but He also gives the same power to virtually everyone on Earth when He speaks a couple of chapters after:
  • Matthew 18:18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (En verdad os digo: todas las cosas que atareis sobre la tierra, serán atadas también en el Cielo, y todas las cosas que desatareis sobre la tierra, serán desatadas también en el Cielo)
• Matthew 17:20 "Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" (Díjoles Jesús: Por vuestra incredulidad, porque en verdad os digo: si tuviereis fe como un grano de mostaza, diréis a este monte pasa de aquí a allá, y pasará, y nada será imposible) # The secret at full motion, right? You become what you believe
• Matthew 19:30 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first (Y muchos primeros serán los últimos, y los últimos los primeros) # Here again He speaks as if talking about the past, has the Judgment Day already happened on His perceived time frame?
• Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer (Y todas las cosas que pidiereis en la oración, teniendo fe, las recibiréis)  # The Secret again? Definitely to have faith and believe are crucially important
  •  Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (Por eso os digo: Todas las cosas que pedís en la oración, creed que las recibiréis y os serán concedidas)
• Matthew 22:21 Show Me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought Him a denarius.“Whose image is this,” He asked, “and whose inscription? Caesar’s,” they answered. So Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” And when they heard this, they were amazed. So they left Him and went away (Y Jesús les dijo: ¿De quién es esta imagen y letrero? Dijéronle: Del César. Entonces les dijo él: Pues das al César lo que es del César, y a Dios lo que es de Dios. Y oyéndole se admiraron, y dejándole se fueron) # What a magnificent answer! Such a smart guy
  
  • Mark 12:17 But Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, "Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to inspect." So they brought it, and He asked them, "Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they answered. Then Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” And they marveled at Him (Jesús, conociendo la astucia de ellos, les dijo ¿Por qué me tentáis? Traedme un denario para verlo. Presentáronselo, y les dijo: ¿De quién es esta imagen y letrero? Del César, le respondieron. Y respondiendo Jesús, les dijo: Pues das al César lo que es del César, y a Dios lo que es de Dios. Y quedaron admirados de su respuesta)
  • Luke 20:25 "Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?” “Caesar’s,” they answered. So Jesus told them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s." And they were unable to trap Him in His words before the people; and amazed at His answer, they fell silent (Mostradme un denario.  ¿De quién es la imagen y letrero que tiene? Del César, le respondieron ellos. Y él les dijo: Pues dad al César lo que es del César, y a Dios lo que es de Dios. Y no pudieron reprender su respuesta delante del pueblo, y admirados de ella, callaron)
• Matthew 23:8 But you are not to be called "Rabbi"’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers (Mas vosotros no queráis ser llamados Maestros, porque uno solo es vuestro Maestro, y todos vosotros sois hermanos) # That means no Church hierarchy, right?
• Matthew 23:24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel (¡Guías ciegos, que coláis un mosquito y tragáis un camello!) # In this statement, He is refereeing to the Escribas y Fariseos, but this could very well be all of us at any point in human history
• Matthew 24:35 Heaven and Earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away (El Cielo y la tierra pasarán, pero mis palabras no pasarán) #  Yet another indication that He seems to perceive the times He lives in as if it has already passed
  • Luke 21:33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away (Pasarán el Cielo y la tierra, pero no pasarán mis palabras)
• Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak (Velad y orad para no caer en la tentación. El espíritu a la verdad está pronto, pero la carne es flaca) # He indicates here that we truly need to do a conscious effort to evolve spiritually, illumination will not happens just like that, you need to actively pursue it. And if pray equals meditation, is He advising us to meditate on regular basis to control our minds and hence our actions coming from it and the fall into the temptations abyss?
  
  • Mark 14:38 Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak (Velad y orad para no caer en la tentación. El espíritu está pronto, pero la carne es flaca)
  • Luke 22:40 When He came to the place, He told them, "Pray that you will not enter into temptation" (Y habiendo llegado al lugar, les dijo: Orad para que no caigáis en la tentación)
• Matthew 26:52 Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him. “For all who draw the sword will die by the sword" (Entonces le dijo Jesús: vuelve tu espada a su lugar, porque los que se sirven de la espada perecerán por la espada) # Such a powerful statement, and another clear reference to Karma
• Matthew 26:75 Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly (Y se acordó Pedro de la proposición que Jesús le había dicho: antes que cante el gallo me has de negar tres veces, y saliendo afuera lloro amargamente): # The denial of Peter are to be the most fine expression of human flesh, and a clear indication that this story is true, this detailed event predicted by Jesus in Matthew 26:34 makes it so unreal that it must be true. I find really hard to believe that someone will 'imagine' this denial of Peter, furthermore, he should have come as a hero of the whole story, being hunted down by the priest and creating a 'resistance' a 'church' of which people will feel proud of. Yet, his beginning are describes as a total humiliation and denial of his believe, you just cannot get more human than that
  • Mark 14:30 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” (Y Jesús le dijo: En verdad te digo que hoy en esta noche, antes que el gallo cante os veces, me has de negar tu tres)
  • Luke 22:34 But Jesus replied, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.” (Mas Jesús le dijo: Te aseguro, Pedro, que no cantará hoy el gallo sin que hayas negado tres veces que me conoces) # Later on, Jesus cancel the denial of Peter in John 21:17 where he asks Peter three times whether he loves him or not
  • John 13:38 “Will you lay down your life for Me?” Jesus replied. “Truly, truly, I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. (Respondióle Jesús: ¿Darás tu vida por mí? En verdad, en verdad te digo: No cantará el gallo antes que me niegues tres veces)
• Matthew 27:19 While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered terribly in a dream today because of Him" (Y estando sentado en el Tribunal, envío a decirle su mujer: nada te mezcles en las cosas de este justo, porque he padecido mucho hoy por causa suya en un sueño) # This is fascinating piece of the story, what a great detail is added to it! That proves to me that it is true; given the machoism of those times, how could a woman dare to send a message to her husband when he is actually on the judgment seat, exercising his power. The name of the wife apparently was Claudia, though her name is not mentioned in the Gospels, and in fact the only referral to her dream is in this gospel of Matthew
• Mathew 27:55 And many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to minister to Him (Y había allí muchas mujeres a lo lejos que habían seguido a Jesús desde Galilea, cuidando de asistirle) # He had also females disciples, not a single doubt about it, a by all means advance development in the human condition, next time is any book where woman are picture together following a common goal would probably be in the 19th century
• Matthew 27:65 "You have a guard" Pilate said. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." (Díjoles Pilato: ahí tenéis la guardia, id y guardarle como sabéis) # And then if we continue reading, just a bit later in Matthew 28:4, the guards are mentioned to be petrified out of fear....did they abandon their post? Do you know the punishment for falling sleep or leaving your post? In the Spanish Legion that I served it was real hard, and that was 2,000 years after this event. In the Roman Empire, the legionaries that abandoned their post were to be killed by his comrades using sticks, "muerte a palos"

Reading of the holy gospel according to Saint Mark (Marcos)

This gospel starts right after the baptism of Jesus by Juan the Baptist, and at the beginning shows a Jesus that is upset with the Fariseos and Saduceos for they follow the Law to the fined-printed word and keep the Sabbath at all costs. I absolutely love the event described in Mark 1:40, If you are willing, you can make me clean, which in the Spanish language sounds very powerful (Señor, si quieres me puedes limpiar). And the authority that He express is absolutely irrefutable: I want, be clean (Quiero, queda limpio) Every time I read this, it causes me hair to stand on end

It is convenient (He said on Mark 8:31, Mark 9:31 and Mark 10:33) that the Word we rejected by the Elderly (the Wise), and the Son of Man be destroyed and then rise again at the Third Day. The same thing He said on Luke 9:22, and it just happens that sometimes in our life we reject or neglect stuff that later on becomes the crucial thing that we needed the most. Don't we all waste time and then, on our dying day, we beg for more? The same thing He said on Matthew 21:42 Jesus said to them, “ Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? (La piedra que reprobaron los que edificaban vino a ser la principal del ángulo) # How many times do we reject the good? He said the same thing in Mark 12:10 Have you never read this Scripture: "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone" (¿No habéis leído este dicho de la Escritura: La piedra que desecharon los que edificaban, vino a ser la principal del ángulo?)

• Mark 2:17 On hearing this, Jesus told them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Oyendo esto Jesús, les dijo: No son los sanos sino los enfermos los que tiene necesidad de médico, porque yo no he venido a llamar a los justos, sino a los pecadores) # I love it, her really come for me! haha
• Mark 4:22 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light (Porque nada hay escondido que no venga a manifestarse, y nada hay oculto que no venga a ser publico) # This is such an important statement to me, it means that ALL will be known, and that we all eventually reach the Light and the Understanding of why are we all here and the meaning of this
  
  • Matthew 10:26 For there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known (Y así no le tengáis miedo, porque nada hay cubierto que no se haya de descubrir, ni oculto que no se haya de saber)
  • Luke 8:17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light. (Porque nada hay oculto que no se haya de manifestar, ni escondido que no se haya de saber y hacer público)
  • Luke 12:2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. (Porque nada hay oculto que no venga a descubrirse, ni escondido que no venga a saberse) # So, He actually mentions this twice in Luke's gospel
• Mark 7:15 Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him; but the things that come out of a man, these are what defile him (Nada de lo que hay fuera del hombre y entre en él puede mancharle, sino al contrario, las cosas que salen del hombre son las que manchas al hombre) # Your actions are the things that define you, it doesn't matter what you hear or listen to, it is your reaction to that thing what is important; from inside, from the heart, is from where all good and bad thoughts are generated
  
  • Matthew 15:11 A man is not defined by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it (No mancha al hombre lo que entra por la boca, sino lo que sale de la boca, eso mancha al hombre)
• Mark 7:34 So Jesus took him aside privately, away from the crowd, and put His fingers into the man’s ears. Then He spit and touched the man’s tongue. And looking up to heaven, He sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”). Immediately the man’s ears were opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak plainly (Y apartándole Jesús de la gente metió los dedos en sus oídos, y escupiendo toco su lengua con la saliva, y mirando al cielo dio un suspiro y dijo: Epheta, que quiere decir: Ábrete. Y en el mismo instante se abrieron sus oídos, y se desató el impedimento de su lengua, y hablaba claramente) # The healing of a deaf man, that is pure reiki in action
• Mark 9:48 Where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched (Donde el gusano nunca muere y el fuego nunca se apaga) # That is, the regrets and pangs of conscience that will aches during eternity, and that Jesus repeats three times in the same gospel, warning us
• Mark 10:21 Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him, "There is one thing you lack: Go, sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me" (Y mirándole Jesús, le amo, y le dijo: una cosa te falta, anda y vende todo lo que tienes y dalo a los pobres, y tendrás un tesoro en el cielo, y ven y sígueme) # Again, Jesus enpahsis the extreme poberty and genenoristy above all things, did the Medival Church mentioned this verse on their mass?
  • Luke 12:33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys (Vended todo lo que poseéis y dadlo de limosna. Haced por tener bolsas que no se envejecen, y un tesoro en el Cielo que jamás se agota, donde no llega el ladrón ni la polilla roe) #Shouldn't the Church be poor?
• Mark 10:51 "What do you want Me to do for you?" Jesus asked. "Rabboni," said the blind man, "let me see again." “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road (Y hablando Jesús le dijo: ¿Qué quieres que haga contigo? Y el ciego le dijo: Maestro, que yo tenga vista. Y Jesús le dijo: anda que tu fe te ha salvado. Y al instante tuvo vista, y le seguía en su camino) # Notice that Jesus knew perfectly well that the man was blind, but before curing him, He asks out of him what you want him to do with you, so that the man can recognise his fault and what needs to be fixed. Extrapolating this to our times, all we need to do really is ask from the bottom of our heart, and have faith to be cured
• Mark 12:44 For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on (Porque todos echaron de lo que les sobraba, mas esta de su indigencia misma, echo todo lo que tenía para vivir) # Carity, Grattitude and Generosity and the 3 big flags to the Kingdom of Jesus
  • Luke 21:4 For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on (Porque todos estos hicieron ofertas a Dios de los que les sobra, mas esta de lo que le hace falta ha dado todo lo que tenía para su sustento)
• Mark 15:23 There they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it (Y le daban a beber vino mezclado con mirra, pero no lo tomo) # He decided to feel the pain at its most, how many hours had He been without drinking anything? He died at around 3pm (the Nona hour), so it was probably 10 or 11am (the sexta hour) when he was nailed to the cross, because Luke 23:44 mentions that from 12pm to 3pm there was darkness, that translate to between 4 to 5 hours of suffering on the cross....
• Mark 15:37 But Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His last (Y dando Jesús un gran grito, expiró) # Yep, he did die indeed
  
  • Matthew 27:50 When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit (Y Jesús, clamando otra vez con una gran voz, expiró)
  • Luke 23:46 Then Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” And when He had said this, He breathed His last (Y clamando Jesús en voz alta, dijo: Padre en tus manos encomiendo mi espíritu. Y diciendo esto, expiró)
  • John 19:30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit (Y habiendo Jesús tomado el vinagre, dijo: Todo está cumplido. Y bajando la cabeza, rindió el espíritu)
• Mark 16:3 They were asking one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?” (Y se preguntaban una a otra, ¿Quién nos quitara la piedra de la entrada del sepulcro?) # This detail is very significant to me, and is only mentioned in this gospel. Of course they didn't know he had resurrected so this is a very natural concern of theirs, asking how can they enter into the tomb

Reading of the holy gospel according to Saint Luke (Lucas)

This gospel is the only one that mentions the birth of John the Baptist, and how the angel Gabriel showed up to his father Zacarias to tell him that he's gonna be a daddy. It is the only gospel too, where an angel appears to the shepherds asking them to adore baby Jesus that has just been born. Also Simeon, the elderly man who was told by the Holy Spirit that he'll not died without seeing the Messiah, is only mentioned in this gospel. When Jesus is 12 years old he left his parents and go to the Temple to starts his mission, but then he realised he has a family to look after, so he'll work and postpone his mission until he's 33 years old (pretty much a very mature man by the 1st century standards) and all family matter has been sorted

• Luke 6:10 And after looking around at all of them, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and it was restored (Y habiendo mirado a todos dijo al hombre: Extiende tu mano. Y la extendió, y su mano quedo sana) # He even didn't touch him to cure him, more reiki in action
• Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them (Y según queréis que obren con vosotros los hombres, obrad también vosotros con ellos. Y si solo amáis a los que os aman, ¿qué recompensa merecéis? porque también los pecadores aman a los que les aman) # What a great lesson that is, his doctrine clearly pushes us out of our comfort zone and into the development of the spirit
• Luke 6:37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven (No juzguéis y no seréis juzgados, no condenéis y no seréis condenados. Perdonad y seréis perdonados) # Karma's Law, yet more evidence of Buddhism influence in his teaching
• Luke 6:49 But the one who hears My words and does not act on them is like a man who built his house on ground without a foundation. The torrent crashed against that house, and immediately it fell— and great was its destruction!” (Pero el que oye, y no obra, es semejante a un hombre que edifico su casa sobre tierra sin fundamento, contra la cual batió el rio y luego cayo, y fue grande su ruina) # We have been told, now listen to Him which by definition means that you'll be listening to your inner soul; if you know what you need to do, but you don't do it -you do not act- there will be no one to blame but you
• Luke 7:48 Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." But those at the table began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” (Y dijo a la mujer: Tus pecados te son perdonados. Y los que estaban con él a la mesa empezaron a decir dentro de sí: ¿Quién es este que perdona también los pecados?) # This event sends twirling down the back of my neck... He is the Son of God, that's why he can forgive the sins. No one else since, before or after him, have said these things to anyone with such power in the speech
• Luke 10:27 He answered, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and Love your neighbor as yourself (Respondiendo él dijo: Amarás al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón, y con toda tu alma y con todas tus fuerzas y con todo tu espíritu, y a tu prójimo como a ti mismo. Y Jesús le dijo: has respondido muy bien, has eso y vivirás)  #To me, this is the whole reason He came to this realm, to tell us exaclty that: do that, to integrate yourself in the Flower of Life, and you'll live
  • Matthew 22:37 Jesus declared, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself (Díjole Jesús: Amarás al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón, y con toda tu alma, y con todo tu entendimiento. Este es el mayor y el primer mandamiento, y el segundo es semejante a este: Amarás a tu prójimo como a ti mismo)
  • Mark 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these (Amarás al Seños tu Dios de todo tu corazón y con toda tu alma y con todo tu entendimiento y con todas tus fuerzas. Este es el primer mandamiento. Y el segundo es semejante a el: Amarás a tu prójimo como a ti mismo. No hay otro mandamiento mayor que estos)
• Luke 11:33 No one lights a lamp and puts it in a cellar or under a basket. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light. (Ninguno enciende una candela y la pone en lugar escondido, o debajo de un celemin, sino sobre el candelero, para que vean la luz los que entran) # The good intentions need to be shown, and never be afraid of saying what your believes are
• Luke 12:12 For at that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say (Porque el Espíritu Santo os enseñará en aquella misma hora lo que os fuere necesario decir) # Is He referring to the Akashic records?
• Luke 12:19 Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’ (Y diré a mi alma: Alma mía, tú tienes muchos bienes de repuesto para mucho años, descansa, come y bebe, y relájate. Pero Dios le dijo: Mentecato, en esta noche te vendrán a pedir tu alma, ¿y para quién serán las cosas que has juntado?) # This is so much me, idiot, you'll never know when your soul will be asked out of you, use it wisely while you still have it
• Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storehouse or barn; yet God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than the birds! (Atended a los cuervos que no siembran ni siegan, ni tienen despensa ni tienen granero, y Dios los sustenta. ¿Cuánto más valéis vosotros que ellos?) # He meant to say that we should not look ONLY for work, but also give space for spiritual needs, as He continues on Luke 12:31 But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added unto you (Pero buscad primero el Reino de Dios y su Justicia, y todas estas cosas se os darán en aumento)
• Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Porque donde está esta vuestro tesoro, allí también estará vuestro corazón) # Such a beautiful statement
• Luke 13:3 No, I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish (Os aseguro que no, pero si vosotros no hacéis penitencia, todos pereceréis del mismo modo) # Yep, we got to do penitance, he also stresses in the fasting and pray in Matthew 17:21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting (Mas esta suerte de demonios no se lanza sino con la oración y el ayuno)
• Luke 13:33 Nevertheless, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day, for it is not admissible for a prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem (No obstante, conviene que yo camine hoy y mañana, y el otro día, porque no conviene que un profeta muera fuera de Jerusalén) # Yep, I knew it, he went to that city just to die
• Luke 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted. (Porque todo aquel que se ensalza sera humillado, y el que se humilla sera ensalzado)  # He said that after the parabola describing a wedding and the advise he gives of not to sit down at the front, just in case the groom decides to ask you to sit at the back and offer your sit to someone more appreciative. Humble is the key, kindness and mercy, naked of any temporarily interest
• Luke 14:27 And whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple. Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it? (Y el que no lleva a cuestas su cruz y me sigue, no puede ser mi discípulo. Porque, ¿quién de vosotros queriendo edificar una torre no ajusta primero despacio los gastos que son necesarios, para ver si tiene con que acabarla?) # You need to have full commimentment to the cause, and there shall be no gaps in the Flower of Life
  
  • Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me (Entonces dijo Jesús a sus discípulos: si alguno quiere venir en seguimiento mío, niéguese a sí mismo, y tome su cruz y, sígame)
• Luke 16:11 So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? (Pues si en las riquezas injustas no habéis sido fieles, ¿quién os confiara las verdaderas?) # If the human race is ought to be the inheritance of the Ultimate Knowledge, let's start by embracing the mysteries of our human and cosmic nature
• Luke 16:25 But Abraham answered, "Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony" (Y de dijo Abraham: Hijo, acuérdate que durante tu vida recibiste bienes,  y Lázaro al contrario males, y ahora es él consolado y tú atormentado) # This is a pure description of Karma
• Luke 17:24 For just as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so will be the Son of Man in His day (Porque como un relámpago que sale de una parte del Cielo extiende su claridad hacia la otra, así aparecerá el Hijo del Hombre en su día) # So, He will come back, right? Is He describing here the arrival of alien spaceships?
  • Matthew 24:27 For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Porque como el relámpago sale del Oriente y se descubre hasta el Occidente, así será la venida del Hijo del Hombre)
• Luke 20:38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive (Y Dios no es el Dios de los muertos, sino de los vivos, para él todos viven) # Concept of the no-space in time, time is indeed an illusion
• Luke 21:11 There will be great earthquakes, famines, and pestilences in various places, along with fearful sights and great signs from heaven (Y habrá en diferentes partes grandes terremotos, y pestes y hambres, y se verán en el Cielo cosas espantosas y prodigios extraordinarios) # I have seen this statement being used many times in doom-days webpages and videos, etc, indicating that NOW is the moment when the World ends, blah, blah... I think, to be honest, that these verses could fit in virtually any time in history, having said that, that sentence of "great signs from heaven".... hmmm, how do we interpret that? A black hole passing by near our solar system? The verse below clearly fits a description for that apocalyptic event:
  
  • Luke 21:25 There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves (Y habrá señales en el sol y en la luna y en las estrellas, y en la tierra consternación de las gentes por la confusión que causará el bramido del mar y de las olas)
• Luke 22:28 You are the ones who have stood by Me in My trials (Vosotros sois los que habéis perseverado conmigo en mis tentaciones) # He was a mortal indeed, tempted often just like we all do
• Luke 23:31 For if men do these things while the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry? (Porque si con el leño verde se hace esto, ¿qué se hará con el seco?) # If the passion is the suffereing of a good man.... how the suffering of we all sinners will be? May God save us
• Luke 24:39 Look at My hands and My feet. It is I Myself. Touch Me and see— for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have (Ved mis manos y pies. Yo mismo soy, palpad y ved; porque el espíritu no tiene carne ni hueso, como veis que yo tengo)

Reading of the holy gospel according to John (Juan)

I personally find this gospel the most intimate of them all, written from someone who really knew Jesus, as He speaks to his disciples from a very emotive and sometimes quite philosophical point of view. Besides, this is the only gospel where the miracle of turning water into wine is mentioned, and to me that is one of the most symbolic, ever lasting and wonderful miracles Jesus did

• John 6:27 Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval (Trabajad, no por la comida que perece, sino por la que dura hasta la vida eterna, la que os dará el hijo del Hombre porque este es a quien el Padre imprimió su sello) # God gave full authority to Jesus
• John 6:39 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day (Y la voluntad del Padre que me envío es que yo no pierda alguno de todos los que me dio, sino que los resucite en el último día) John 6:40 For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day (Y la voluntad de mi Padre que me envío es que todo aquel que ve al Hijo, y cree en él, tenga la vida eterna, y yo le resucitaré en el último día) John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day (Ninguno puede venir a mí si el Padre que me envío no lo atrae, y yo le resucitare en el último día) # Jesus repeats 3 times the fact that he will resuscitate all those who believe in him, to have the eternal life on the last day
• John 7:24 Stop judging by outward appearances, and start judging justly (No juzguéis según la apariencia, sino juzgad según la justicia) # This is also a principle in Buddhism: no judgement, did Jesus knew Buddha’s teaching?
• John 8:7 When they continued to question Him, He straightened up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her" (Y perseverando ellos en preguntarles, se enderezó, y les dijo: Aquel de vosotros que está sin pecado, sea el primero que la apedree) # This does not mean that only those free-of-sin can impart justice, it means that we should look to ourselves before executing any actions against others
• John 8:23 Then He told them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world (Y él les dijo: Vosotros sois de acá abajo, yo soy de lo alto. Vosotros sois de este mundo, yo no soy de este mundo) # Is this the pure description of an alien?
• John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (Y conoceréis la verdad, y la verdad o hará libres) # Shortly after this verse, Jesus spoke about the fact that we are slaves of our sins, of our adictions, of our ego, so perhaps a recognition of these addictions and needs is the path to a true liberation
• John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies (Vosotros sois hijos del diablo, y queréis cumplir los deseos de vuestro Padre. Él fue homicida desde el principio y no perseveró en la verdad, así no hay verdad en él. Cuando dice la mentira, habla de suyo propio, porque es mentiroso y padre de la mentira)
• John 8:47 Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God (El que es de Dios, oye las palabras de Dios. Por eso vosotros no la oís, porque no sois de Dios)
• John 8:51 Truly, truly, I tell you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death (En verdad, en verdad os digo: si alguna guarda mi doctrina, no morirá jamás) # Another such powerful statement
• John 10:4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice (Y después de sacar fuera sus propias ovejas, va delante de ellas; y las ovejas le siguen porque conocen su voz) # Your light inside you will recognise the Finger of God, and He kind of repeats the same thing two more times
  
  • John 10:14 I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me (Yo soy el buen pastor, y conozco mis ovejas y mis ovejas me conocen)
  • John 10:27 My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me (Mis ovejas oyen mi voz, y yo las conozco, y ellas me siguen)
• John 10:16 I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd (Y tengo otras ovejas que no son de este aprisco, y es menester que yo las traiga, y oirán mi voz, y no habrá sino un aprisco y un pastor) # One flock only? Is He referring to a single Universe? To a single source of energy?
• John 12:8 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me (Porque a los pobres los tenéis siempre con vosotros, pero a mí no me tenéis siempre) # This is it, that's the only 'kind gesture' that Jesus allowed to himself, that one of Maria caresing his feet. Now, all we have is poor to exercise our charity on them
  
  • Matthew 26:11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me (Porque pobres los tenéis siempre con vosotros, mas a mí no me tenéis siempre)
  • Mark 14:7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them whenever you want. But you will not always have Me (Porque a los pobres los tenéis siempre con vosotros, y podéis hacerles bien cuando quisiereis, pero a mí no me tenéis siempre)
• John 12:24 Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it bears much fruit (En verdad, en verdad os digo que si el grano de trigo que cae en la tierra no muere, queda él solo, mas si muere da mucho fruto) # You have to actively seek your own transformation, which inevitably implies an internal death
• John 12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw everyone to Myself (Y yo, si fuera levantado de la tierra, atraeré a mi todas las cosas) # Magnetic force at work?
• John 13:14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet (Pues si yo, siendo Señor y Maestro he lavado vuestros pies, también vosotros debéis lavaros los pies unos a otros) # What a great lesson he gives to his disciples here
• John 13:20 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever receives the one I send receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives the One who sent Me (En verdad, en verdad os digo: El que me recibe a aquel que yo envío, me recibe a mí, y el que me recibe a mí recibe a aquel que me envío)
• John 13:34 A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another (Un nuevo mandamiento os doy: que os améis unos a los otros como yo os he amado, que os améis unos a otros) # So great! Normally all great people when they die they want their legacy to be continue, somehow to be remembered within the living, but this man wished nothing but that we loved one another as he loved us
  • John 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (El mandamiento mio es este: que os ameis mutuamente como yo os he amado. Nadie tiene mayor amor que el de quien da su vida por sus amigos) # So beautiful
• John 14:2 In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? (En la casa de mi padre hay muchas moradas. Si no fuera así, os lo hubiera dicho porque voy a preparaos el lugar)
• John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (Díjoles Jesús: Yo soy el camino, y la verdad y la vida. Ninguno viene al Padre sino por mí)
• John 15:19 If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world (Si fuerais del mundo, el mundo amaría lo que es suyo: mas porque no sois del mundo sino que yo os escogí del mundo, por eso os aborrece el mundo)
• John 20:17 Do not cling to Me,” Jesus said, “for I have not yet ascended to the Father (Díjole Jesús: No me toques, porque aún no he subido a mi padre) # His body must have been lethal right after the resurrection
• John 20:29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed (Díjole Jesús: Tomás, has creído porque me viste. Bienaventurados aquellos que no vieron y creyeron) # He speak in the past, because for Jesus all time is at once

Among the miracles that Jesus made, I'd like to highlight the following:

• The Marriage at Cana (Las bodas de Caná) # He converted water into wine during a wedding as explained in John 2:9. For me, this is the MOST important miracle, due to its symbology: we live in a Universe of water, where we work 9 to 5 most of the time and here we are focusing on the materials stuff that makes our visual reality. What Jesus teaches, and in fact He comes to convert this Universe of water of ours into a Universe of wine, where joy, hope and dreams are possible. Yes! follow the wine inside your heart
• The Loaves and Fishes (Multiplicación de los panes y peces) # In several events that are mentioned in all the gospels, He feeds a lot of people with 5 and 7 loaves of bread in two different occasions as described in Mark 8:19 and Mark 16:9. This miracle is also mention with 5 loaves and 2 fishes in John 6:9, the same as in Luke 9:13 and in two separate occasions in Matthew14:19 and Matthew 15:36, and I just wonder how did I achieved that
• The resurrection of Lazaro described in detailed in chapter 11 and expressed in John 11:43 is absolutely breath-taking, but Lazaro wasn't the only person that he brought out from the dead, he also touches a girl in the hand, and resurrects her in Matthew 9:25, and He also brings back the only child of a mother in Luke 7:14
• Heal of sort of sickness, lepers, paralytics, deaf and dumbs, possessed, etc by touching them or just speaking to them, not to mention the healing of the servant of a centurion that he does purely based on the faith on the centurion in Him, described in Luke 7:9
• He obviously has some power over the physical forces of nature, proven when He walks by the Sea of Galilee described in Matthew 14:31, and a few of the other remarkable miracles that are not very well noticed but that to my perception are absolutely incredible, are the following:
  • His transfiguration described in Matthew 17:2, Mark 9:2 and Luke 9:29, where all of the sudden his  clothes became white and has a possible encounter with... aliens?
  • The prediction of where to find a donkey for him to ride during in entrance into Jerusalem, described in Matthew 21:2, Mark 11:2 and Luke 19:30
  • The prediction of a coin inside a fish in Matthew 17:27
  • The prediction of the house where He will have his last dinner, described in Mark 14:13 as well as in Luke 22:10. It interesting to know that back on the day, residents of Jerusalem used to rent spare room to accommodate the Pascual dinner of visitors, because that dinner should not be eaten outside of Jerusalem; it is also interesting to note that he describe a man carrying a jug of water, the symbol of Aquarius, the man who pours knowledge over the Earth

This is not a miracle, but quite opposite, the description of Hematidrosis, in Luke 22:44, is all very human, the sweat of blood, a condition that happens under huge stress when the body is presented with a flight-or-fight situation, how could the Evangelist know about this kind of rare condition the human body has? Unless he was related to medicine, or most likely yet another prove that these events really happened

No need to mention that the pain and horrors that this man suffered where absolutely grotesque. Consider that, after the event of hematidrosis and the sweat of blood, his skin must have been very soft and sensitive....therefore the whip later must have been caused havoc on his epidermis. The capital death of the Jews was dead by stoning, not by crucifixion, which was a Roman punishment. Pilato did not want to kill him, he even sent him to Herodes so that to pass the responsibility of this messy judgment that had nothing to do with the Roman Empire into somebody else, as mentioned in Luke 23:7. But when Herodes returned Jesus back to him, Pilato ordered him to be punished severely: "Set the punishment to be severe, but don't let them kill the man" he must have mentioned based on what he said in Luke 23:16. In theory, he just wanted to present to the Jews a Jesus in pain and already punished, so to avoid the dead of this man. The soldiers who deliver the punishment, however, taken away by their hate towards the Jews, and did not follow the orders of Pilato correctly, and whip Jesus to the brink of death. During the continuous rain of lashes, Jesus's body contracted fever, must have been well over 40 degrees of temperature, a fever that will stay with him until He leaves this world. For the shock and amsue of Pilato, when he presented a broken man to the Jews, they were not satisfied with that severe punishment, and wanted him dead, hence the crucifixion penalty is granted. Normally, the Roman will not whip someone to the brick of exhaustion, if they know that that person is going to be crucify later. That explains why Jesus was not able to carry the cross all the way to the killing site, and why he died relatively quick in comparison with the other two criminals that were executed alongside him. After his death, Joseph of Arimathea hustle to bury the body of Jesus, they had to do it before sunset otherwise they'll not be able to bury him until Sunday, as the Pascua and the "Parasceves" was starting right after sunset. They buried him on a brand new cloth that later on will become known as the Holy Shroud. But on Sunday, oh la la! He resurrects!

In conclusion, you need to do an effort to actually save yourself, and apart from believe, you also actively need to act good. Luke 8:48 Your faith has healed you. Go in peace (Tu fe te ha sanado, vete en paz)

The Nativity scene (El portal de Belén)

I'd like to finish this article by talking about a very, very... very special indeed Nativity scene that I have. In the south of Spain, from where I am originally from, Nativity scenes, also called “Portal de Belén”, are extremely popular and I was brought up with that culture on my mind. My grandmother used to setup the “Portal de Belén” every Christmas, and when she passed away my mum followed the tradition. Every single year, since my mum has memory, a Nativity scene has been setup at my mum’s home in Spain.

So, a few years after I moved to England, I decided that I also wanted to have a Nativity scene at my place, in London, but it has to be something small, tiny and easy to carry and setup, not the gigantic representation that in Spain people do the “Portal de Belen”. For many years, during my Christmas in Spain, I was looking for a Nativity appropriate for me, I remember even travelling to the near town of Seville in search of some but none of them was appropriate

There is a powerful and hidden message in the Nativity, the reason why Jesus choose to arrive into this world like that. Everybody was expecting the Messiah to be born of a glorious heritage, in a majestic palace and surrounded by servants, richness and all sort of glorious things. This is more or less how we expect our things to happen, we expect the woman or man of our life to be with such and such attribute or be with this and that look, and we tend not to look away of our objective or deviate from our desire. And this example that I put about the woman or man of our life, can be extrapolated to virtually anything: we have expectations for everything, inevitably, and we avoid looking for possibilities away from our expectations

Just look at this: who would have expected that the Saviour of the World were to be born in a filthy and disgusting corner of a barn, smelly and full of cow shit. But there is was, the mystery of the Nativity, you really and truly will never know the way that Universe decide to manifest itself into your life

And exactly like that, is how the Nativity scene came into my life. I wasn´t expecting it at all! We went to Bethlehem during the trip to Israel, and it just so happens and in there they were selling Nativity scenes! It never occurred to me but Palestinian would do that, but of course they know that some countries in Europe use the Nativity scene rather than the Christmas tree to represent the birth of Jesus and the festive season. I went ahead and bought one for myself, the one below, which I put on display at my place every 7^th December and then remove the 1^st January

This my special Bethlehem, contains in the star below a piece of Holy Land from Israel, and on the star above, if you rotate, it becomes a music box and will delight you ears with a beautiful song. I am very grateful that this Nativity came to me....precisely from Bethlehem!

I hope that you have enjoyed this reading, as much as I did written it. May the love of God be with you

London, 2 May 2021, Ortodox Easter Sunday