Readings, July 29, 2007

Genesis
Chapter 18 20 1 Then the LORD said: "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave, 21 that I must go down and see whether or not their actions fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me. I mean to find out." 22 While the two men walked on farther toward Sodom, the LORD remained standing before Abraham. 23 Then Abraham drew nearer to him and said: "Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty? 24 Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city; would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to make the innocent die with the guilty, so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike! Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?" 26 The LORD replied, "If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake." 27 Abraham spoke up again: "See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes! 28 What if there are five less than fifty innocent people? Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?" "I will not destroy it," he answered, "if I find forty-five there." 29 But Abraham persisted, saying, "What if only forty are found there?" He replied, "I will forebear doing it for the sake of the forty." 30 Then he said, "Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on. What if only thirty are found there?" He replied, "I will forebear doing it if I can find but thirty there." 31 Still he went on, "Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord, what if there are no more than twenty?" "I will not destroy it," he answered, "for the sake of the twenty." 32 But he still persisted: "Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time. What if there are at least ten there?" "For the sake of those ten," he replied, "I will not destroy it."

Catholic Fundamentalism Interpretation

The Programmer heard that His Free-Will Programs in two cities were violating their operating instructions so badly that others of their kind were crying out in outrage.

While the two beings in human form went ahead, The Programmer stayed with Abraham, who drew near and asked if The Programmer would erase the innocent along with the guilty.

"Would you kill fifty innocent people?

Surely, you will not treat the innocent the same as the guilty?

The Programmer agreed that he would spare the city if there were 50 innocent people.

Then, Abraham asked if he would spare the city if there were 45 innocents?

If there were 40?

30?

20?

10?

This is a New Programming Agreement.  The Programmer agreed with Abraham that He would NOT destroy the innocent along with the guilty.   We must ask ourselves, however, who among us is without guilt? 

Catholic Fundamentalism Interpretation:

Just as The Program, Jesus Christ in loving, perfect, human form, was buried before Ascending to The Programmer, so we are dead to the world through Baptism.  Even though we had been dead to The Programmer because of sin, he brought us to life along with Him, having forgiven us for ignoring The Program.  He erased the claims sin could make against us, which tried to destroy us, erasing it from our soul and nailing it to the cross.

Gospel

Luke
Chapter 11 1 1 2 He was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples." 2 3 He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread 4 4 and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test."

5 And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,' 7 and he says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.' 8 I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. 9 "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? 12 Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? 13 If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit 5 to those who ask him?"

Catholic Fundamentalism Interpretation

The Program was communicating with The Programmer.  Afterwards, a disciple asked Him to teach them to access The Programmer, as John had done.

The Program said, here's how to access The Programmer.  Say:  'Holy Programmer, may your operating instructions be perfectly obeyed.  Give us what we need to maintain our Programming Access and forgive us our errors as we forgive those whose errors damage our ether-disc.  Please don't subject us to the final test, making us destroy our hard drive to show our obedience to You.'

the

The Program continued:  "If one of you goes to a friend, gets him out of bed for what he thinks is a silly reason, if you are persistent, you will get what you want.

If you keep asking and asking and asking, The Programmer will have the appropriate Sub-Programmers help you, even if He does not number you among His friends.

"I, (The Program, Himself, Second Person of The Trinity, God In The Flesh) I am telling you, 'ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.  For every one who asks for Programming Assitance gets it, the one who seeks greater access finds it, and if you knock on the door, it will be opened.

What human father would give his son a snake when he asks for a fish, or a scorpion for an egg.  If you, whose systems operate in greivous error, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will The Programmer in Programming Central give access to The Holy Wireless Connector to those who ask Him for it?"

(The key to The Program is love, and even hardened sinners love their children.  We must encourage them to extend that love, first to their neighbors, then, beyond.