*** UNLESS SOULS ARE SAVED, NOTHING IS SAVED; THERE CAN BE NO WORLD PEACE UNLESS THERE IS SOUL PEACE. World wars are only projections of the conflicts waged inside the souls of modern men and women, for nothing happens in the external world that has not first happened within a soul. During World War II, His Holiness, Pope Pius XIII said that postwar humanity would be more changed than the map of postwar Europe. It is this postwar frustrated human or the modern soul, who interests us in this volume.

Such a person is, as the Holy Father predicted, unlike the people of earlier periods. For one thing, the modern soul no longer looks to find God in nature. In other generations, man, gazing out on the vastness of creation, the beauty of the skies, and the order of the planets, deduced the power, the beauty, and the wisdom of the God Who created and sustained that world. But modern man, unfortunately, is cut off from that approach by several obstacles.

He/She is impressed less with the order of nature than he is with the disorder of his/her own mind, which has become his/her main preoccupation; atomic and nuclear [warfare] has destroyed his awe of a nature that can now manipulated so as to destroy other people or even to commit cosmic suicide; and, finally, the science of nature is too impersonal for this self-centered age. The old approach not only makes a man a mere spectator of reality, instead of its creator, but also demands that the personality of the seeker after truth shall not intrude itself in investigation. But it is the human personality, not nature, that really interests and troubles people today.

This change in our times does not mean that the modern soul has given up the search for God, but only that is has abandoned the more rational - and even more normal - way of finding Him. Not the order in the cosmos, but the disorder in themselves; not the visible things of the world, but the invisible frustrations, complexes, and anxieties of their own personality - these are modern humanity's starting point when people turn questioningly toward religion. In happier days, philosophers discussed the problem of man; now they discuss man as a problem.

Through his scepticism the modern man/woman is thrown back upon himself/herself; his/her energies flow toward their source and wash to the surface those psychic contents that are at all times there, but lie hidden in the silt as long as the stream flows smoothly in its course. How totally different did the world appear to medieval man! For him, the earth was eternally fixed and at rest in the center of the universe, encircled by the course of a sun that solicitously bestowed its warmth.

Men/Women were all children of God under the loving care of the Most High, who prepared them for eternal blessedness; and all knew exactly what they should do and how they should conduct themselves in order to rise from a corruptible world to an incorruptible and joyous existence. Such a life no longer seems real to us, even in our dreams. Natural science has long ago torn this lovely veil to shreds. That age lies as far behind as childhood, when one's own father was unquestionably the handsomest and strongest man on earth.

Formerly, humanity lived in a three dimensional universe where, from an earth one inhabited with one's neighbour, one looked forth to heaven above and to hell below. Forgetting God, a person's vision has lately been reduced to a single dimension; one now thinks of one's activity as limited to the surfaced of the earth - a plane whereon one moves nor up to God or down to Satan, but only to the right or to the left. The old theological division, of those who are in the state of grace and those who are not, has even way to the political separation of rightist and leftist. The modern soul has definitely limited its horizons; having negated the eternal destinies, it has even lost its trust in nature, for nature without God is traitorous.

Where can the soul go, now that a roadblock has been thrown up against every external outlet? Like a city that has all its outer ramparts seized, a person must retreat inside himself. As a body of water that is blocked turns back upon itself, collecting scum, refuse, and silt, so the modern soul (which has none of the goals or channels of the Christian) backs upon itself and in that choked condition collects all the sub-rational, instinctive, dark, unconscious sediment that would never have accumulated had there been the normal times.

People now find that they are locked up within themselves, their own prisoner. Jailed by self, they now attempt to compensate for the loss of the three dimension universe of faith by finding three new dimensions within their own mind. Above their ego, their conscious level, they discover, in the place of heaven, an inexorable tyrant whom they call the superego. Below their consciousness, in place of hell, they substitute a hidden world of instincts and urges, primitive longings and biological needs, which they call the id.

This conception of the human person as consisting of three layers or regions has been emphasized by Sigmund Freud. It forms an essential element in the psychoanalytic doctrine of human nature. The most important feature of this doctrine is the belief that one's conscious mental life, one's experiences, and one's conduct are determined, not by what one knows, feels, or intends, but by forces largely hidden from one's consciousness. The ego, or consciousness, is only the battlefield where an incessant war is fought between a person's biological, primitive urges and the powers embodied in the superego.

These power take the place of conscience, they originate, not in an awareness of a natural law and of a person's obligation in face of the divine law, but from social pressure, environmental influences brought to bear on the plastic mind of the small child. Because the fulfillment of the primitive urge is placed under control by society (as in the training of toilet habits), this urges become "frustrated."

Their original aims cannot persist in our consciousness because of their intolerable conflict with environmental standards. Thereby, they become "repressed." The child thus takes over all laws, viewpoints, and values of the adult world when he accepts these standards as his own. He does this by identifying himself with the person whom he would view as an antagonist in a primitive society. Thus, the superego arises and acquires its contents - the rules, taboos, and ideals that happen to be those of the child's surrounding world.

According to such a modern conception of the subjective life, the human appears as a captive within his own mind and as a victim of forces that he or she cannot recognize. To free themselves, if that be possible, the person must know more about their prison. This is one reason for the great popularity psychiatry enjoys today. This science promises to explain humans to themselves, to enable them to cope better with their tragic situation. A certain type of psychiatry tries to explain man by a theory that the conscious is devoid of value, that only through the unconscious may modern man/woman hope to discover a way out of his/her unhappiness.      

*** BY  VENERABLE  FULTON  J.  SHEEN 

God has made Himself known to all people everywhere in the marvel of nature and in the human conscience which is able to distinguish right from wrong, truth from false and sin, because this knowledge is universal and continuous, by it God has displayed His glory to everyone. "The heavens declare the glory of God, the vault of heaven proclaims his handy works; day discourses of it to day, night to night hands on the knowledge. No utterance at all, no speech, no sound that anyone can hear; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their message to the ends of the world. High above, he pitched a tent for the sun, who comes out of his pavilion like a bridegroom, exulting like a hero to run his race. He has his rising on the edge of heaven, the end of his course is its furthest edge, and nothing can escape his heat." - Psalms 19:1-6 -

Some Christians think that only believers can see God's revelation in nature, but the Apostle/Saint Paul/Saul said that the unbelievers, the unrighteous and sinful man/woman know the truth about God too and they 'clearly see' it but they 'suppress' the truth; knowing God, hence, they fail to worship Him as God; they alter the truth; they do not retain God in their knowledge and knowing the righteous judgment (moral law) of God, they preferred to disobey it. The reason the ungodly are 'inexcusable' before God's righteous judgment is that they possessed it but rejected the truth which God gave them. 

- God's anger against the pagans - The anger of God is being revealed from heaven against all the impiety and depravity of men/women who keep truth imprisoned in their wickedness. For what can be known about God is perfectly plain to them since God himself has made it plain. Ever since God created the world his everlasting power and deity - however invisible - have been there for the mind to see in the things he has made. That is why such people are without excuse: they knew God and yet refused to honour him as God or to thank him; instead, they made nonsense out of logic and their empty minds were darkened. The more they called themselves philosophers, the more stupid they grew, until they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for a worthless imitation, for the image of mortal man/woman, of birds, of quadrupeds and reptiles. That is why God left them to their filthy enjoyments and the practices with which they dishonour their own bodies, since they have given up divine truth for a lie and have worshipped and served creatures instead of the creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen!

That is why God abandoned them to degrading passions: why their women have turned from natural intercourse to unnatural intercourse practices and why their menfolk have given up natural intercourse to be consumed with passion for each other, men doing shameless things with men and getting an appropriate reward for their perversion.

In other words, since they refused to see it was rational to acknowledge God, God has left them to their own irrational ideas and to their monstrous behaviour. And so they are steeped in all sorts of depravity, rottenness, greed and malice, and addicted to envy, murder, wrangling, treachery and spite. Libellers, slanderers, enemies of God, rude, arrogant and boastful, enterprising in sin, rebellious to parents, without brains, honour, love, and pity. They know what God's verdict is: that those who behave like this deserve to die - and yet they do it; and what is worse, encourage others to do the same. - Romans 1:18-32 - 

- The Jews are not exempt from God's anger - So no matter who you are, if you pass judgement you have no excuse. In judging others you condemn yourself, since you behave no differently from those you judge. We know that God condemns that sort of behaviour impartially: and when you judge those who behave like this while you are doing exactly the same, do you think you will escape God's judgement? Or are you abusing his abundant goodness, patience and toleration, not realising that this goodness of God is meant to lead you to repentance? Your stubborn refusal to repent is only adding to the anger God will have towards you on that day of anger when his just judgements will be made known. He will repay each one as his/her works deserve. For those who sought renown and honour and immortality by always doing good there will be eternal life; for the unsubmissive who refused to take truth for their guide and took depravity instead, there will be anger and fury. Pain and suffering will come to every human being who employs himself/herself in evil - Jews first, but Greeks as well; renown, honour and peace will come to everyone who does good - Jews first, but Greeks as well. God has no favorites. - Romans 2:1-11 -

God's universal revelation makes it clear that God exists and that God, the Creator of heaven and earth and of the mountains, oceans, vegetation, animals, and mankind is wise and powerful. People aware of their own moral responsibility who know the difference between right and wrong conduct and who have a sense of guilt when they do wrong, reflect the requirements of God's moral law that is written on their hearts.     

- Hymn to the lord of the storm - Pay tribute to Yahweh, you sons of God, tribute to Yahweh of glory and power, tribute to Yahweh of the glory of his name, worship Yahweh in his sacred court. The voice of Yahweh over the waters! Yahweh over the multitudinous waters! The voice of Yahweh in power! The voice of Yahweh in splendour! The voice of Yahweh shatters the cedars, The Yahweh shatters the cedars of Lebanon, making Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion like a young wild bull. The voice of Yahweh sharpens lightning shafts! The voice of Yahweh sets the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of Yahweh sets the terebinths shuddering, stripping the forests bare. The God of glory thunders. In his palace everything cries, 'Glory!' Yahweh sat enthroned for the Flood, Yahweh sits enthroned as a king forever. Yahweh gives strength to his people, Yahweh blesses his people with peace. - Psalms 29:1-11 -

- The majesty of God - Yahweh is king, robed in majesty, Yahweh is robbed in power, he wears it like a belt. Yahweh have made the world firm, unshakeable; your throne has stood since then, you existed from the first, Yahweh. Yahweh, the rivers rise, the rivers raise their voices, the rivers raise the thunders; greater than the voice of ocean, transcending the waves of the sea, Yahweh reigns transcendent in the heights. Your decrees will never alter; holiness will distinguish your house, Yahweh for ever and ever. - Psalms - 93:1-5 -     

- The glories of creation - Bless Yahweh, my soul, Yahweh my God, how great you are! Clothed in majesty and glory, wrapped in a rope of light! You stretch the heavens out like a tent, you build your palace on the waters above; using the clouds as your chariots, you advance at the wings of the wind; you use the winds as messengers and fiery flames as servants. You fixed the earth on its foundations, unshakeable for ever and ever; you wrapped it with the deep as with a robe, the waters overtopping the mountains. At your reproof the waters took to flight, the fled at the sound of your thunder, cascading over the mountains, into the valleys, down to the reservoir you made for them; you imposed the limits they must never cross again, or they would once more flood the land. You set springs gushing in ravines, running down between the mountains, supplying water for wild animals, attracting the thirsty wild donkeys; near there the birds of the air make their nests and sing among the branches. From your palace you water the uplands until the ground has had all that your heavens have to offer; you make fresh grass grow for cattle and those plants made use of by man, for them to get food from the soil: wine to make them cheerful, oil to make them happy and bread to make them strong. The trees of Yahweh get rain enough, those cedars of Lebanon he planted; here the little birds build their nests and, on the highest branches, the stork has its home. For the wild goats there are the mountains, in the crags rock-badgers hide. 

You made the moon to tell the seasons, the sun knows when to set: you bring darkness on, night falls, all the forest animals come out: savage lions roaring for their prey, claiming their food from God. The sun rises, they retire, going back to lie down in their liars, and man goes out to work, and to labour until dusk. Yahweh, what variety you have created, arranging everything so wisely! Earth is completely full of things you have made: among them vast expanse of ocean, teeming with countless creatures, creatures large and small, with the ships going to and from and Leviathan whom you made to amuse you. All creatures depend on you to feed them throughout the year; you provide the food they eat, with generous hand you satisfy their hunger. You turn your face away, they suffer, you stop their breath, they die and revert to dust. You give breath, fresh life begins, you keep renewing the world. Glory for ever to Yahweh! May Yahweh find joy in what he creates, at whose glance the earth trembles, at whose touch the mountains smoke! I mean to sing to Yahweh all my life, I mean to play for my God as long as I live. May these reflections of mine give him pleasure, as much as Yahweh gives me! May sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked exist no more! Bless Yahweh, my soul. - Psalms 104:1-35 -

Sinners who were not subject to the Law will perish all the same without that Law; sinners who were under the Law will have that Law to judge them. It is not listening to the Law but keeping it that make people holy in the sight of God. For instance, pagans who never heard of the Law but are led by reasons to do what the Law commands, may not actually 'posses' the Law, but they can be said to 'be' the Law. They can point the substance of the Law engraved on their hearts - they can call a witness, that is, their own conscience - they have accusation and defense, that is, their own inner mental dialogue. .....on the day when, according to the Good News I preach, God, through Jesus Christ, judges the secrets of mankind. - Romans 2:12-16 -

What is the result of divine revelation in nature? If anyone lived up to that knowledge by loving and obeying God everyday of his/her life, he/she would be right with God and would not need salvation. However, no human beings loves God absolutely with his/her whole being and his/her neighbours as himself/herself. With the only exception of Jesus, truly man and truly divine. Generally, people worship and serve things in creation rather than the Creator. The problem does not lie with the revelation which like the Law is holy, just and good; the problem is with the sinfulness of human lives. The best human being (other than Jesus Christ) comes short of the uprightness God requires. The Law is sacred and what it commands is sacred, just and good. 

Does that mean that something good killed me? Of course not. But sin, to show itself in its true colours, used that good thing to kill me; and thus sin, thanks to the commandment, was able to exercise all its sinful power. - Romans 7:12-13 -

The reason, therefore, why those who are in Christ Jesus are not condemned is that the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. God has done what the Law, because of our unspiritual nature, was unable to do. God dealt with sin by sending his own Son in a body as physical as any sinful body, and in that body God condemned sin. He did this in order that the Law's just demands might be satisfied in us, who behave not as our unspiritual nature but as the spirit dictates. - Romans 8:1-4 -

When Christians defend justice, honesty and decency in schools, homes, neighbourhoods, businesses and governments, they do not impose their special belief upon others. They merely point to universal principles that all sinners know but suppress in the unrighteousness. In other words, the Lord Jesus Christ has 'declared' God to us personally. 

The anger of God is being revealed from heaven against all the impiety and depravity of men/women who keep truth imprisoned in their wickedness. - Romans 1:18 - 

As valuable as general revelation is for justice, honesty and decency in the world today, it is not enough. It must be completed by the Good News of God's mercy and His gracious gift of perfect righteousness. Nature does not show God's plan for saving those who do evil, wicked and sin: that Jesus was the Son of God that He died for our sins and that He rose again among the dead. The message of salvation was seen dimly throughout Old Testament sacrifices and ceremonies. It was seen more clearly as God redeemed the Israelites from enslavement in Egypt and as God disclosed to prophetic spokesmen the redemptive significance of His mighty acts of deliverance. The full and final revelation of God has occurred in Jesus Christ. 

God who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds. - Hebrews 1:1-2 - To see Christ is to see the Father. - John 17:8 - At the cross Jesus revealed supremely God's self-giving love. There He died, 'the just for the unjust that He might bring us to God. - 1 Peter 3:18 -

- The Day of the Lord Jesus Christ; the prophets and the apostles - My friends, this is my second letter to you, and in both of them I have tried to awaken a true understanding in you by giving you a reminder: recalling to you what was said in the past by the holy prophets, and the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ, our  'Saviour' which you were given by the apostles. We must be careful to remember that during the last days there are bound to be people who will be scornful, the kind who always please themselves what they do, and they will make fun of the promise and ask, 'Well, where is this coming? Everything goes on as it has since the Fathers died, as it has since began at the creation.' They are choosing to forget there were heavens at the beginning, and that the earth was formed by the word of God out of water and between the waters, so that the world of that time was destroyed by being flooded by water. but by the same word, the present sky and earth are destined for fire, and are only being reserved until Judgement day so that all sinners may be destroyed.

But there is one thing, my friends, that you must never forget: that with the Lord, 'a day' can mean a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord is not being slow to carry out his promises, as anybody else might be called slow; but He is being patient with you all, wanting nobody to be lost and everybody to be brought to change his/her ways. The Day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then with a roar the sky will vanish, the elements will catch fire and fall apart, the earth and all that it contains will be burnt up. 

Since everything is coming to an end like this, you should be living holy and saintly lives while you wait and long for the Day of God to come, when the sky will dissolve in flames and the elements melt in the heat. What we are waiting for is what He promised: the new heavens and the new earth, the place where righteousness will be at home. So then, my friends, while you are waiting, do your best to live lives without spot or stain so that He will find you at peace. Think of our lord's patience as your opportunity to be saved: our brother Paul, who is so dear to us, told you this when he wrote to you with the wisdom that is his special gift. He writes like this when he deals with this sort of subject, and this makes some points in his letter hard to understand; these are the points that uneducated and unbalanced people distort, in the same way as they distort the rest of scripture - a fatal thing for them to do. You have been warned about this, my friends; be careful not to get carried away by the errors of unprincipled people, from the firm ground that you are standing on. Instead, go on growing in the grace and in the knowledge of our lord and saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory, in time and in eternity. Amen. - 2 Peter 3:1-18 -      

I saw that there was no temple in the city since the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb were themselves the temple, and the city did not need the sun or the moon for light, since it was lit by the radiant glory of God and the Lamb was a lighted torch for it. -Revelation 21:22-23 - Nothing unclean may come into it: no one who does what is loathsome or false, but only those who are listed in the Lamb's book of life. - Revelation 21:27 - Then the angel showed me the river of life, rising from the throne of God and of the Lamb and flowing crystal-clear down the middle of the city street. On either side of the river were the trees of life, which bear twelve crops of fruit in a year, one in each month, and the leaves of which are the cure for the pagans. The ban will be lifted. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in its place in the city; his/her servants will worship him, they will see him face to face, and his/her name will be written on their foreheads. It will never be night again and they will not need lampstand or sunlight, because the Lord God will be shining on them. They will reign for ever and ever. - Revelation 22:1-5 -

The angel said to me, 'All that you have written is sure and will come true: the Lord God who gives the spirit to the prophets has sent his angel to reveal to his servants what is soon to take place. very soon now, I shall be with you again.' Happy are those who treasure the prophetic message of this book. - Revelation 22:6-7 -

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I had heard and seen them all, I knelt at the feet of the angel who had shown them to me, to worship him; but he said, 'Don't do that: I am a servant just like you and like your brothers and sisters the prophets and like those who treasure what you have written in this book. It is God that you must worship.' - Revelation 22:8-9 -

This, too, he said to me, 'Do not keep the prophecies in this book a secret, because the Time is close. Meanwhile, let the sinner go on sinning, and the unclean continue to be unclean; let those who do good go on doing good, and those who are holy continue to be holy. Very soon now, I shall be with you again, bringing the reward to be given to every man/woman according to what he/she deserves. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and last, the beginning and the End. Happy are those who will washed their robes clean, so that they will have the right to feed on the tree of life and can come through the gates into the city. These others must stay outside: dogs, fortune-tellers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and everyone of false speech and false life.' - Revelation 22:10-15 -

- EPILOGUE - I, Jesus, have sent my angel to make these revelations to you for the sake of the churches. I am of David's line, the root of David and the bright star of the morning. The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come'. Let everyone who listens answer, 'Come'. Then let all who are thirsty come: all who want it may have the water of life, and have it free. This is my solemn warning to all who hear the prophecies in this book, God will cut off his/her share of the tree of life and of the holy city, which are described in the book. The one who guarantees these revelations repeats his promise: I shall indeed be with you soon. Amen: come, Lord Jesus. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. - Revelation 22:16-21 -  

- WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE / WORD OF GOD / HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY - 

Wishing you, 'Happy Reading', and may God, the Father, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ, fills your heart, mind, thoughts, and grants you: The Holy Spirit, that is, Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, Fear of the Lord, and also His fruits of the Holy Spirit, that is, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Trustfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Amen! God blessing be upon you!

Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord" and not do what I say?' "Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and acts on them - I will show you what he/she is like. He/She is like a man/woman who when he/she built his/her house dug, deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man/woman who built his/her house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!" - Luke 6:46-49 - 

If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ Jesus, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to it function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love." - Ephesians 4:15-16 - 

I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now. But when the spirit of truth comes, he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking as from himself, but will say only what he has learnt; and he will tell you of the things to come. He/She will glorify me, since all he/she tells you will be taken from what is mine. Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: all he/she tells you will be taken from what is mine." - John 16:12-15 -

Your generous contribution and support is profoundly cherish. I sincerely pray that: God blessing be upon you, always. Amen! Bank transfer: Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah - Public Bank Berhad account no. 4076577113 - Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.