Readings, Feb 18, 2007

1 Samuel
Chapter 26 2 So Saul went off down to the desert of Ziph with three thousand picked men of Israel, to search for David in the desert of Ziph. 7 So David and Abishai went among Saul's soldiers by night and found Saul lying asleep within the barricade, with his spear thrust into the ground at his head and Abner and his men sleeping around him. 8 Abishai whispered to David: "God has delivered your enemy into your grasp this day. Let me nail him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I will not need a second thrust!" 9 But David said to Abishai, "Do not harm him, for who can lay hands on the LORD'S anointed and remain unpunished? 12 So David took the spear and the water jug from their place at Saul's head, and they got away without anyone's seeing or knowing or awakening. All remained asleep, because the LORD had put them into a deep slumber. 13 Going across to an opposite slope, David stood on a remote hilltop at a great distance from Abner, son of Ner, and the troops. 22 But David answered: "Here is the king's spear. Let an attendant come over to get it. 23 The LORD will reward each man for his justice and faithfulness. Today, though the LORD delivered you into my grasp, I would not harm the LORD'S anointed.

Second Reading

1 Corinthians
Chapter 15 45 So, too, it is written, "The first man, Adam, 1 became a living being," the last Adam a life-giving spirit. 46 But the spiritual was not first; rather the natural and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, earthly; the second man, from heaven. 48 As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly, and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image 2 of the heavenly one.

Luke
Chapter 6 27 1 "But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit (is) that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. 35 But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as (also) your Father is merciful. 37 2 "Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. 38 Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you."

Catholic Fundamentalist interpretation:

After He programmed the components, God compiled them to make the first man. He then downloaded a living spirit with the man.

He made a place for the man to live, and programmed replicating food sources and what he'd need to maintain life. He also provided the download The Life Program and knowledge of corrupted and uncorrupted programs.

The Programmer's living program with the biggest CPU was the serpent. He got the woman to disobey The Programmer's instructions by tempting her with the notion that she couldl be like a programmer, herself. 

The woman got the man to disobey and try to rise above his nature, as well. They realized they were naked, and, by sewing leaves together, made the first man-made thing, a loincloth.

The woman saw food and beauty, and the possibility of gaining wisdom from the tree. Neither of them realized that obeying God was greater than food, art, or wisdom.

When the first replicating human programs allowed themselves to be corrupted, the corruption was passed on to those who followed them.

The corruption was death. No one from Adam to Moses could escape its rule.

The Grace of God, in the personification of The Program, wiped out Adam's sin, and, just as Adam's sin corrupted for all time, the reprogramming destroyed that corruption for all time. It brought a blissful re-programming that brought forgiveness with it.

The perfect Program can make other programs perfect. It's like a magnet turning a needle into another magnet.

The Program downloaded no physical energy for 40 days and nights. His body was hungry.

The de-Programmer tried to get The Program, in human form, Jesus Christ, to malfunction.

"Use your power to program in three dimensions to turn these stones into bread."

The Program recalled that The Operating Manual recorded that The Programmer's words were more important than things programmed.

The de-Programmer tried to get The Program to download vanity, and order angels to do His will and not The Programmer's.

Jesus, The Program in human form, told the de-Programmer that one should not put The Programmer to the test, but test oneself, instead.

The de-Programmer offered The Program all the political power in the world, if He would only malfunction by obeying the de-Programmer's operating instructions.

The Program showed that He was perfect, because the greatest temptations the de-Programmer could offer could not separate The Program from His Creating Father, The Programmer. Angelic Sub-Programmers burst forth from all over the program and tended to The Program.