We Look to Christ

[Mobius]

Hi all

This discussion would have fit in nicely in Cainams "Do you believe in God/creator?"

Cainam & Frank, I don't think anyone was saying that we don't want to hear from PW at all. Just that we would prefer to hear an individual contemporary interpretation or view on a subject & not a copy & paste of religous text which means little to a lot of us.

I've seen most of these philosophers ideas on the big questions in life & while I find myself agreeing to nearly all those logical proofs, it still doesn't change anything. Nothing has been solved by those guys paraphrasing each other over the centuries. In the year 2002 we are still asking the same questions as thousands of years ago & nothing has come of it, just speculation.

The Bottom Line
The gospel of Jesus Christ is rational. Indeed, when looked at logically, it becomes inevitable."

Didn't know there was a gospel of Jesus, maybe they should have included that one in the bible?hehe

It is obvious that most of us in here DO believe there is a higher something & that these things we are using to walk, talk & write with are just temporary vehicles & that the real us, the non physical double or the soul if you will, goes on. It's just that our interpretations on who is at the end of the line are different.

PW, this is a free & open forum & I definately respect your right to say & believe whatever you wish, your thoughts are most appreciated.

Good journeys all

Mobius

[Frank]

Mobius, yes, it means little to me, overall, at first. But I still do at least try and understand it and I know you do to. Though I do realise that where such viewpoints come across like the person involved is kinda stuffing it down your throat does obviously make both you (and I) want to disregard the thing entirely.

With me, there are names on here that have come together and made some great contributions: that is IN SPITE of the commonly held belief that one religion should fight another.... or that viewpoint A should be totally against viewpoint B, etc.

Personally, I blame Mr Bruce: he created a website (oh, and Adrian as well so he's jointly to blame) where all manner of persons could come together and chat on an equal footing. Now that shouldn't be allowed... if human history is anything to go by we should have long since been threatening to kill each other by now.

Yours,
Frank

[James S]

P.W,
I like the fact that you are not afraid to remove yourself from the standard brands that most religions wish to bestow on us. Disciple of Christ & truth seeker sounds good. It means you are comitted to following the ways of a person who, leaving aside possible arguments of wether he was the son of God or not, was basically very intelligent, wise, kind and loving, and gave us a way of life that could not fail to make us better people. Truth seeker means your willing to think about the information your being fed and not just follow blindly. I would agree that your not religious.

I would not call myself a christian any more as my spiritual direction has since changed, however when I would have called myself a christian, I always stated that I was not religious. It might just be an interpretation, but  I've always felt that being a diciple of christ and being religious are two completely different, if not diametrically opposed things. I suppose this goes along with what kmd242 was saying about organised religions.

Since you can be religious about anything from gambling to making sure that your favourite pet ant is kept well groomed, I've always considered that "religious" usually equates to "doing without thinking."

In years past, before the freedom of information and literacy that is available now, more often than not it was the churches, the organised religions  that controlled the distribution of information. Their leaders jealously garded their sizeable empires by making sure that people followed without question.

Now we can question as we are being independently informed. This site is a classic example of what would not have been allowed to exist under such church states. Indeed were we all living in China now we'd still have a big problem with it.

So if you're actually someone who thinks about what you believe in, and have found its merits based upon what you feel is true, then you are far from being religious. Many true followers of Christ, Allah, Buddah, Krishna, Bahá u lláh, Gaia, the Great Prophet Zarquon, whoever, are generally not the slightest bit religious. They just live according to their belief, and they're generally far more open minded towards people with other spiritual views than those who are religious.

"God protect us from religion"
- David Eddings, Redemption of Althalus.

James.

[Jacara]

quote:Didn't know there was a gospel of Jesus, maybe they should have included that one in the bible?hehe

Gospel just means "good news"; the gospels in the bible are the Gospel {of Jesus} according to John or Mark or whoever.  They're all the Gospel of Jesus.

[PeacefulWarrior]

That's right Jacara....most people don't know that.

fides quaerens intellectum

[PeacefulWarrior]

For those of you willing to sacrifice a few minutes of your time, the following gives a fairly encompassing view of LDS belief with a more philisophical approach.  My interjections are in parentheses( )  If you decide not to read this, at least scroll down to the piece I have indicated in red.

Philosophy: Quotes

Brady, F. Neil. "Ethics." In Daniel H. Ludlow (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism (New York: Macmillan, 1992).
The scriptures affirm that questions of the good and the right are intertwined with questions of the holy and with the primal Jewish-Christian imperative "Be ye holy for I am holy." (1 Pet. 1:16; cf. Lev. 11:44) Daily tensions between the sacred and the secular are part of the ethical dilemma, and Latter-day Saints seek help from the scriptures and classical sources.

Philosophers often distinguish two approaches to ethics: teleology and deontology. The teleological approach appraises the morality of an act by its relation to an end or purpose, while the deontological approach understands morality primarily in terms of duty or response to law. In Christian ethics, these views have proved difficult to reconcile. For Latter-day Saints, however, both obedience to divine imperatives and pursuit of ultimate happiness are correlative elements in the maturation of human beings. The conflict between duty and desire is overcome as one grows closer to God through faith and service and finds joy in upholding divine counsels and commandments.   (So it's not about following blindly or being contrained by rules, it's about true happiness...and it's a an objective truth that by following rules, by putting forth effort, we obtain more freedom and eventually more happiness.  This is one of the toughest thing to teach, because it can't be taught!  One must begin to DO certain things before he or she understands and internalizes it.)

Ethicists likewise contrast performance and motive in the religious life. Rabbinical tradition, for example, emphasizes the continuous study and scrupulous observance of Torah, while Reformation Protestantism stresses motive. Again, Latter-day Saints reject this perennial division; both are crucial in the religious life. "Ye shall know them by their fruits" (Matt. 7:16). Grace transforms men toward a Christlike nature. But purity of heart is manifest in scripture study and vigorous service; thus, mastery of law and inner change go hand in hand as components of discipleship and joyful living.  (I take this as: study all you want, but without actually going out and DOING and LIVING, it will profiteth you nothing.  Behind this you must also have a pure heart, a true desire to love and help...)

Carter, K. Codell. "Epistemology." In Daniel H. Ludlow (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism (New York: Macmillan, 1992).
The Western philosophical tradition, like Western thought generally, emphasizes knowledge in the sense of knowing facts. But this emphasis may not be appropriate, especially from a gospel perspective. Some scriptures teach that other kinds of knowledge may be more important. Thus, Jesus prays, "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3)  This is knowledge by acquaintance more than "knowledge about." (cf. JST Matt. 7:32-33)  There are also indications that factual knowledge alone is not sufficient for salvation: "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only." (James 1:22)  At the request of President Spencer W. Kimball, a prophet, the words in a LDS children's hymn were changed from "Teach me all that I must know" to "Teach me all that I must do," because it is not enough just to know; one must do the will of the Lord.

A related gospel theme is that knowing comes from doing. "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." (John 7:17)  The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, "We cannot keep all the commandments without first knowing them, and we cannot expect to know all, or more than we now know unless we comply with or keep those we have already received." (TPJS, p. 256)

In formal philosophy, "knowing," in the sense of knowing facts, is often defined to mean true belief together with good reasons. In other words, a person knows some statement X if and only if that person believes X, and if X is true, and if the person has good reasons for believing X. The European-American philosophical tradition recognizes two kinds of reasons that support the claim to know: rational argument and empirical evidence. Within the Church these are tacitly accepted as sources of knowledge, sometimes even of religious knowledge. For example, after reviewing the traditional arguments for the existence of God, James E. Talmage observed that some were "at least strongly corroborative" of God's existence. (AF, p. 29)

However, there is a continuing tradition, based on the scriptures and reinforced by modern Church leaders, that specifically religious knowledge requires a different and distinctively spiritual source. "We believe that no man can know that Jesus is the Christ, but by the Holy Ghost. We believe in [the gift of the Holy Ghost] in all its fulness, and power, and greatness, and glory." (TPJS, p. 243; D&C 76:114-16)  It is widely accepted by Latter-day Saints that gospel knowledge must ultimately be obtained by spiritual rather than exclusively rational or empirical means. (e.g., 1 Cor. 12:3)  Thus, in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is no clear counterpart to the Roman Catholic tradition of natural theology.  (This is the greatest thing about the truth....everyone must come to it on their own.  In other words "Never take my word for it".  That's why the "preachy" attitude is so ineffective, belitting and ignorant.  I know that if I really want someone to see what I see, then I must simply point out the right way and they must go through it.  For example, the first time you obtain "astral sight", it is breathtaking, shocking, revealing, etc.  I can explain it to someone all day and night and they still will NEVER really know what it's like until they experience it for themselves.  This is precisely the reason I never discount or write off what someone has to say unless I either have experienced it[ or never want to (ie. murder or something evil like that. /red]

One of the most suggestive and frequently cited scriptures in LDS teaching makes the point: "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moro. 10:4-5)  This scripture is usually taken to apply to all knowledge. This suggests that both rational argument and empirical evidence, the two traditional approaches to knowledge, can be either supplanted by or encompassed within spiritual knowledge. Of course, the scripture does not say that knowledge comes only by the Holy Ghost. Yet, within the Church, it is often held that what might be thought of as secular learning, for example, modern scientific knowledge, is directly associated with the restoration of the gospel and is rooted in divine inspiration throughout the world.   (In other words, all knowledge comes from the SOURCE, the ETERNAL NOW...we just get it trickled down through the dimensional levels because, for whatever reason, it's important for us as indivudals or as a whole for our spiritual progress.)

Hancock, Ralph C. "Reason and Revelation." In Daniel H. Ludlow (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism (New York: Macmillan, 1992).

LDS teaching encourages a distinct openness to the intrinsic as well as instrumental goodness of the life of the mind, an openness founded on the continuity between the human and divine realms. The full exercise of human reason under the direction of revelation holds a high place among the virtuous and praiseworthy ends to be sought by the indivudal (A of F 13), for the scripture promises that "whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection," and the more "knowledge and intelligence" one gains through "diligence and obedience," the greater "the advantage in the world to come." (D&C 130:18-19)  This emphasis on intellectual development in human progress toward godhood accords with the fundamental doctrine that is the official motto of Brigham Young University--namely, that "the glory of God is intelligence." (D&C 93:36)  

Equated with "light and truth," such intelligence by nature "forsake that evil one." (D&C 93:37) It cannot be simply identified with conventional measures of "intelligence" or with the Greek philosophic idea of a pure, immaterial, and self-directed intelligence, a concept that was very influential in medieval theology. For Latter-day Saints, the attainment of intelligence must be integrated with the labor of shaping the material world and binding together families and generations, for "the elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy." (D&C 93:33)  To the doctrine that "the glory of God is intelligence," one must add God's statement to Moses that "this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39)
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For those of you who care (is there anyone?) I will add some personal comments to everything below later )
Rasmussen, Dennis. "Metaphysics." In Daniel H. Ludlow (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism (New York: Macmillan, 1992).
TENTATIVENESS. LDS metaphysics stands apart, because the Church has not developed a traditional metaphysical theology and does not aspire to one. It has not been much influenced by philosophical thinking. LDS faith springs from two sources, scripture and ongoing religious experience. The absence of any systematic metaphysics of the Church follows from the belief that scripture, as the record of divine revelation, may be supplemented by new revelation at any time. A metaphysical system, to be true, must be all-inclusive. But faith in continuing revelation precludes the certainty that such a system exists. Thus, LDS metaphysics remains incomplete, tentative, and unsystematic, subject to revision in the light of things yet to be revealed by God. This tentativeness about metaphysical ideas has saved the Church from the crises that can arise when a religion's beliefs are tied to philosophical ideas which are later abandoned or discredited. The Church's lack of a systematic metaphysical theology has prompted some students of its doctrines who are used to such theology to assert that it has no theology at all, but it would be more accurate to say that its metaphysics and theology are not systematically formulated.

MATTER AND SPIRIT. In the absence of a metaphysical system, the LDS faith still displays some characteristic metaphysical ideas. Latter-day Saints regard matter as a fundamental principle of reality and as the primary basis for distinguishing particular beings. The import of this view reveals itself most strikingly in the doctrine concerning the material embodiment of God: "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also." (D&C 130:22)  This is not to be understood crassly; the matter of exalted bodies is purified, transfigured, and glorified. LDS teachings draw no ultimate contrast between spirit and matter. Indeed, "all spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure." (D&C 131:7)  This position avoids traditional difficulties in explaining the interaction of spirit and body.

The reality of matter implies the reality of space and time. Scripture speaks of the place where God dwells and of "the reckoning of the Lord's time." (Abr. 3:9)  So God himself exists within a spatial and temporal environment. In accepting space, time, and matter as constitutive of reality, Latter-day Saints take the everyday world of human experience as a fairly reliable guide to the nature of things. But this acceptance is no dogma, and their belief remains open to the possibility that these three ideas, as presently understood, may be auxiliaries to more fundamental ideas not yet known.

PLURALISM. LDS thought clearly emphasizes the importance of the fundamental plurality of the world, with its continuing novelties, changes, conflicts, and agreements: "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things." (2 Ne. 2:11)  The world is not static but dynamic, not completed but still unfolding. This unfinished and future-oriented aspect of things provides the basis for growth and improvement. A monistic world or universe in which all differences are finally absorbed in a higher unity is viewed as impossible. The LDS Church has been less inclined than some other religions to regard the world of common experience as an inferior order of that which must be distinguished from a higher and altogether different realm. Heaven itself is regarded as offering the hope of endless progression rather than the ease of final satisfaction.

NATURAL AND SUPERNATURAL. Latter-day Saints see a continuity between the traditional categories of natural and supernatural. They do not deny the distinction, but view it as one of degree, not of kind. God's creative act, for example, is not, as traditionally conceived, a creation ex nihilo, but an act of organizing material that already exists. (Abr. 3:24)  And creation is not a single, unique event, but an ongoing process that continues through the course of time: "And as one earth shall pass away . . . so shall another come." (Moses 1:38)  God acts upon matter within the context of space and time. In comparison with human attributes, God's attributes are supreme and perfect. But the difference between God and mankind remains one of degree. God seeks to provide the guidance and the necessary help for human beings to overcome the differences and become like him. The injunction to be perfect "even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48) is taken to mean that mankind may indeed become like God by faithfully following his commandments. The principles or laws of goodness that underlie these commandments have their own abiding reality. God exemplifies them but does not arbitrarily create them.

FREEDOM AND PERFECTIBILITY. Nothing is more central to LDS metaphysics than the principle of freedom. The weaknesses of humanity that lead to error and sin are acknowledged. But the claim that human nature is totally depraved is denied. The LDS Church affirms that ideally "men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil" and that "men are free according to the flesh, . . . free to choose liberty and eternal life . . . or to choose captivity and death." (2 Ne. 2:5, 27)  Human experience has as its final goal the development of virtue and holiness in a world that is not totally the product of God's will. Reality itself poses the challenge to overcome obstacles and achieve greater good. Everyone's life is a response to this challenge.

Riddle, Chauncey C. "Philosophy." In Daniel H. Ludlow (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism (New York: Macmillan, 1992).
Latter-day scriptures do not present a philosophical system, but they do contain answers to many classic philosophical issues. These scriptures preclude ex nihilo creation, idealism (immaterialism), a chance theory of causation, and absolute determinism. They affirm the eternality and agency of the individual person, the necessary existence of evil apart from God, a nonrelativistic good (righteousness), and the doctrine that all mortals are the offspring and heirs of God. God is affirmed as a perfected physical being who governs all things in pure love and who continues to communicate with his children on earth by personal revelation.

Observers of the LDS position have ascribed philosophical labels and tendencies to it, but that position usually will not fit neatly into the stock answers. It is empirical, yet rational; pragmatic, yet idealistic; oriented toward eternity, yet emphasizing the importance of the here and now. Affinities are found with the Cartesian certainty of personal existence, the positivist insistence on sensory evidence, the Enlightenment emphasis on elimination of paradox, and the postmodern respect for the "other." The ultimate standard for all being, truth, and good is Christ himself.

Warner, C. Terry. "Truth." In Daniel H. Ludlow (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Mormonism (New York: Macmillan, 1992).
The LDS conception of truth does not fit any of the categories in which it has been discussed in the Western philosophical tradition. For Latter-day Saints, truth is found in living the type of life exemplified by Jesus Christ.

In the Western philosophical tradition, truth is the characteristic or quality of an idea or statement that justifies belief in it. What this characteristic might be has been the subject of long-standing philosophical debate; some have said it is the correspondence with reality that true statements possess; some, their "tie-in" or coherence with other statements; some, their consequences or practical usefulness. So devastating have been the attacks upon each of these theories that in recent times many philosophers have abandoned altogether the traditional assumption that a firm or absolute kind of truth is possible. These philosophers say that because our knowledge of the world is heavily conditioned by the peculiarities of the particular language in which it is expressed, it is an interpretation at best; we have no basis for claiming we can ever know "how things really are," they argue, and therefore, whatever truth exists is relative to the speaker's language, culture, and situation. Absolute truth, thought of as a property of ideas or statements, is a concept that has fallen on hard times.

Commonly it is supposed that for Latter-day Saints truth is absolute in a way that makes it vulnerable to the relativist's arguments. But for Latter-day Saints, as their scriptures and everyday discourse reveal, truth is not primarily a matter of the correctness of ideas or statements, and consequently their view is not to be found among the traditional alternatives or any combination of them. Though they do speak of the truth of statements, they most often use the word "truth" to signify an entire way of life--specifically, the way of life exemplified, prescribed, and guided by Jesus Christ.

. . .
Because Christ perfectly embodies the virtue of being true and faithful (in his case, to the life his Father required of him), there is a crucial sense in which he himself is the truth. "I am the way," he said, "the truth, and the life." (John 14:6)  He "received a fulness of truth." (D&C 93:26)  His cosmic influence, called "the Light of Christ," is also the light of truth, giving life to everything and enlightening human minds. By means of this light, he is "in all and through all things" (D&C 88:6), a permeating presence. Given this sense of the word "truth," it is not odd, as it otherwise would appear, to say, as does a key doctrinal revelation, that "truth shineth." (D&C 88:6-13)

. . .
For Latter-day Saints, salvation is a matter of growing in truth and particularly in knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith taught that "a man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge" (HC 4:588) and that "it is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance." (D&C 131:6)  In context these statements mean that one cannot be saved in ignorance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Latter-day Saints who recognize that truth is not merely a property of language but is central to a life of obedience to the Savior do not interpret these passages to mean that the learned--the scholars and scientists--have a better chance of being saved. Gaining knowledge and becoming more godlike are two aspects of a single process, which helps explain the Latter-day Saint emphasis on education and personal scriptural mastery as well as on righteous living.

Yarn, David H., Jr. "Some Metaphysical Reflections on the Gospel of John." BYU Studies 3, Autumn 1960, pp. 3-10.
As one reads John's Gospel with the metaphysical concepts in mind it is most revealing to see how completely everything is oriented in the Lord. For example, some of the categories one might consider are being, becoming, relation, potency, unity, duality, teleology, change, process, and causation. Let me offer three brief illustrations and some general observations [on "Being," "Relation," and "Duality"].

* Yarn, David H., Jr. "'Wisdom' (Philosophy) in the Holy Bible." BYU Studies 13(1), Autumn 1972, pp. 91-103.
For the student of philosophy, perhaps it is most interating and directly relevant to attempt to determine what constitute the full content of the meaning of the word wisdom from it use in the Bible . . .

Predominantly, wisdom denotes instruction in morals, knowledge of God (specifically Jesus Christ), and righteousness of life. Consistent with this meaning, we are told that wisdom is of greater value than silver or fine gold, more precious than rubies, and that all things that can be desired are not to be compared to it. (Proverbs 3:14-15.) Heavenly (God's) wisdom is distinguished from earthly (man's) wisdom, and men are warned against trusting in their own widsom and knowledge. Finally, the higher wisdom, that which can be known only through the Spirit and power of God, is "peaceable, gentle, easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality (wrangling), and without hypocrisy" (James 3:17-18); and gives happiness, peace, freedom from fear, sleep that is sweet, and is life unto the soul. (pp. 92, 102-103)



fides quaerens intellectum

[PeacefulWarrior]

Gordon B. Hinckley, "We Look to Christ," Ensign, May 2002, 90
....one thing we do know. Like the polar star in the heavens, regardless of what the future holds, there stands the Redeemer of the world, the Son of God, certain and sure as the anchor of our immortal lives. He is the rock of our salvation, our strength, our comfort, the very focus of our faith.

In sunshine and in shadow we look to Him, and He is there to assure and smile upon us.

He is the central focus of our worship. He is the Son of the living God, the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten in the flesh, who left the royal courts on high to be born as a mortal in the most humble of circumstances. Of the loneliness of His living He said, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head" (Matt. 8:20). He "went about doing good" (Acts 10:38).

He was a man of miracles. He reached out to those in distress. He healed the sick and raised the dead. Yet for all of the love He brought into the world, He was "despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: ... he was despised," and was esteemed not (Isa. 53:3).

We look upon His matchless life and say with the prophet Isaiah:

"He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. ...

"... He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53:4-5).

When the great War in Heaven was fought, Lucifer, the son of the morning, came forth with a plan that was rejected. The Father of us all, with love for us, His children, offered a better plan under which we would have freedom to choose the course of our lives. His Firstborn Son, our Elder Brother, was the key to that plan. Man would have his agency, and with that agency would go accountability. Man would walk the ways of the world and sin and stumble. But the Son of God would take upon Himself flesh and offer Himself a sacrifice to atone for the sins of all men. Through unspeakable suffering He would become the great Redeemer, the Savior of all mankind.

With some small understanding of that incomparable gift, that marvelous gift of redemption, we bow in reverent love before Him.

As a Church we have critics, many of them. They say we do not believe in the traditional Christ of Christianity. There is some substance to what they say. Our faith, our knowledge is not based on ancient tradition, the creeds which came of a finite understanding and out of the almost infinite discussions of men trying to arrive at a definition of the risen Christ. Our faith, our knowledge comes of the witness of a prophet in this dispensation who saw before him the great God of the universe and His Beloved Son, the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. They spoke to him. He spoke with Them. He testified openly, unequivocally, and unabashedly of that great vision. It was a vision of the Almighty and of the Redeemer of the world, glorious beyond our understanding but certain and unequivocating in the knowledge which it brought. It is out of that knowledge, rooted deep in the soil of modern revelation, that we, in the words of Nephi, "talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that [we and] our children may know to what source [we] may look for a remission of [our] sins" (2 Ne. 25:26).

And so, my brothers and sisters, as we bid you good-bye for a season, we repeat our firm and enduring testimony. We do it as individuals with a sure and certain knowledge. As I have said many times before, and as I now say again, I know that God our Eternal Father lives. He is the great God of the universe. He is the Father of our spirits with whom we may speak in prayer.

I know that Jesus Christ is His Only Begotten Son, the Redeemer of the world, who gave His life that we might have eternal life and who rules and reigns with His Father. I know that They are individual beings, separate and distinct one from another and yet alike in form and substance and purpose. I know that it is the work of the Almighty "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, the great Prophet of this dispensation through whom these truths have come. I know that this Church is the work of God, presided over and directed by Jesus Christ, whose holy name it bears.

Of these things I testify in solemnity as I leave with you, my beloved associates, my love and blessing, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen. God be with you 'til we meet again.



fides quaerens intellectum