25. Fathers of the Bride - January 21st Maximus the Confessor (650 AD) and January 25th, Saint Gregory the Theologian (391AD).

Being at the deathbed of Saint Anthony, and observing how fierce those demons were with him awakened me to the truth that this planet whose creation once annoyed me, is much more than God's playground for animals and humans. Saint Anthony opened my angelic eyes to the battlefield and the laboratory that is planet earth.

After everyone dispersed I flew up and away from Egypt to get a better perspective for my thoughts. Mostly, I wanted to remove myself from all the demonic activity on earth. To be in such a whirling concentration of good and evil, is to be thrown about like a tumbleweed. In the heavens there is plenty of peaceful and calm space in which to think. I landed on a nice comfy cloud and contemplated the past few days and my next steps.

Saint Anthony showed me how a good soldier severs from himself the slavish quest for pleasure and comfort, and from time to time, even basic physical needs in order to reject temptation and thus be delivered from evil. Freedom from physical passion allowed his soul to perceive and receive the Holy Spirit to such an extent that Anthony became saintly.

While I was thinking, a lightening-bright light flashed and startled me. I looked up to see a manifestation of the Holy Spirit of God come to visit me, me the lowliest of all angels!

"Greetings." He said.

"Your majesty! To what do I owe this honor?" I replied meekly.

"I have come to ask you how you are getting along learning about My Bride and Her year."

"My Lord, I have learned a lot. You have quite a fascinating drama going on down there."

Being one to never let an opportunity pass me by, I added, "In fact, I wonder if I have learned enough. May I ask Your holy permission to go home now? I have never liked conflict, which is why I refused to join Lucifer. If only I could return to my normal spirit-life, I am sure I could worship You better than ever."

The Holy Spirit replied kindly, "Quitting is not an option my friend. You have only gone one third of the way through the year. You will enjoy many adventures in the near future. I have disturbed your contemplation to point out to you that just as Jesus Christ called me Father..."

I interrupted, "Lord, I was wondering about that. How are you doing that? How can you be God, the Father, God the Son, AND God, the Holy Spirit, of one essence in three Persons? I always thought I knew you, but in this last millennium You confuse me. Forgive me, but are you going through an identity crisis or something?" I could not believe I heard myself say that. Immediately I wound myself into a tight little ball to deflect being vaporized.

Instead, to my great surprise, I saw God smile! Then He said, "You angels don't know Me as you often think you do. Only I know Myself, no one else, nothing else, neither spirit nor human. Your curiosity is common; I have observed men and women for centuries contemplate just those matters. My own children, at least those humans who aspire to become My children, have even dismembered others in defense of what they thought was the truth of Who I Am, especially in my human form, as Jesus."

Relieved that I wasn't blasted, and emboldened by the Holy Spirit's tolerance, I said. "Who are You, really? You can tell me, it's just us here and I won't tell anyone else if You don't want me to."

I never before considered myself to be a funny angel, but His Holiness chuckled at me again before He replied,"I liked what My child Maximus said when he confessed His faith. He said that you can know Me by what I am not!"

"That's not fair,You are everything! Well, everything good that is." I added correcting myself. "Why does it matter that people, or even us angels know details about you?"

God replied, "When I came to earth as a human, I did not change, or separate from myself, I did not divide myself in two, I didn't even confuse My two natures. I was, as Jesus Christ pure human and pure God."

Again, I asked. "Okay, but why does it matter if people don't understand this? As long as you are worshipped, be glad. Aren't You are expecting too much from mere humans?"

God answered loud and forceful, "Of course it matters! Do you want anyone to misjudge you, or turn yoqu into someone you aren't?" And then He cut me to the quick when He said, "Would you want Gabriel to think you have gone over to Lucifer's camp?"

"My LORD don't appall me!" I responded, deeply offended by the suggestion.

Then He smiled knowingly and said, "Please calm down. I am only trying to prove My point by exaggerating.

What my Bride calls dogma, Her understanding and definition of Who I am, is one with Her worship and spirituality. Again, that is what My child Maximus confessed to the dullards of his day.

Worship alone, is nothing more than raw emotion, or hollow discipline, if it isn't united to correct faith. I will accept nothing less. I don't need to draw worship from a muddy river running past me. Dogma goes hand-in-hand with spirituality."

"Lord?" I said, wanting to take a step back in a conversation that I was not prepared for, but flailing in my effort to catch up."Why is it so important that You were unchanged as God when you became a man?"

With the deep gentle and confident voice of a wise old teacher, the Holy Spirit replied, "I went to earth to make gods of men. I went to bring the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve back to the Garden of Eden, to trade their curse of death with the blessing of eternal life. I went to show them the way to the Tree of Life. I love My children and I want to live among them. I want them to see Me and know Me and be like Me. I have wanted that from the moment I created light."

God went on, "when I became a man, unless I was fully God too, I could never have accomplished My mission. Who else, but Me, knows where the Tree of Life is planted? Who else could perform the miracles and endure the trial? Who else could have raised so many from the dead? Do you think for a moment an angel could have done those things for Me?" Then He looked me square in the eye, not seeming so kindly anymore.

"Not me Lord! I don't know any angel that could have done all that." And with the courage of a Maximus or an Anthony I added, "So then you weren't human after all."

This time when the lightening struck it was accompanied by a blast of thunder.

"You MORON!!" shouted God.

Suddenly I was reminded that this was the God who parted the Red Sea, and let thousands of soldiers drown. This was the God who opened the earth to consume Dathan and Abiram.

"What! What did I say, my Lord?"

Calming Himself down, the Holy Spirit replied, "What do I look like, a magician?"

"No, Sire."

"I could go to earth right now and raise every person buried there, I could heal every man woman and child from any ailment, I can destroy and I can create, but what good would that do? Miracles, defying nature, does not bring one person to eternal life.

Only as purely human could I take My children by the hand, and usher them into My Kingdom. In Jesus I gave them someone to emulate. Take Anthony, if I was not human, how could Anthony hope to be like Me? Why would he even try, if there wasn't a chance? Because I was purely human I experienced the human condition."

ONLY by being BOTH fully human and fully God could I accomplish My mission. When the humans recognize my dual nature as Christ, they are they worshipping Me in truth."

My Bride has many Fathers who in their humility and willingness to stubbornly defend Me helped to form Her. Now go back to earth and celebrate the feasts of Maximus and Gregory with their brothers and sisters. Pick any generation you wish, and any geographical location. Have fun. We will watch from here."

In swooped Archangel Michael to guide me back. I think God sent him to make sure I took no detours.