Love Is the First Spiritual Gift (Proper 21c)

 Love is the first spiritual gift we receive. This assures us that we have really established a right-relationship of love with God. Since love is a mystical or spiritual gift, men often have more trouble “getting it” than women who are usually more intuitive. Love is probably the most used and least understood word in English. Best understanding is Nicky Gumbel’s sharing of how he fell in love with Pippa – hint – they just knew. The Readings teach us:

·      Jeremiah’s Love of God enabled him to overcome his fear

·      Paul explains how overcoming our fear leads to joy

·      Jesus taught us that love frees us from the Law

 

1.    Jeremiah’s Love Overcame His Fear

Deliverance from Masonic Oaths and Curses (Zoom talk notes Aug. 18 2022 by Fr. John Gishler))

 1.    Introduction to Freemasonry

Freemasonry is an ancient pagan religion that can be traced back to the mysterious ancient associations of master builders in Egypt who built the pyramids centuries before Moses. They use mysterious words that they claim to be from “ancient Egyptian” – which modern language scholars say never existed. Freemasonry blinds, deceives and binds members to secrecy with powerful satanic oaths and curses as they progress through 33 degrees of spiritual cleansing and ‘enlightenment’. Masons believe in brotherly love and model this better than many Christians – but only to other masons and their families. As we will see in the comparison Table, they do not believe in salvation through Jesus but salvation through man-centred enlightenment and moral self-purification. Masons have a ‘corrected’ bible, consider themselves Christian and are drawn to the ritual of Anglican Churches. A Nineteenth-Century Anglican Commission conclude that Freemasonry is incompatible with Christianity. They are drawn to power and control and are often on Anglican vestries. Freemasonry is based on witchcraft that blinds and corrupts good men who then pass the sin-guilt from their oaths and curses down the family line.

 

2.    Table of Masonic and Christian Beliefs and Practices[1]