"'Gnosis’ was an enormous temptation in the early Christian Church. What made it so insidious was the fact that the Gnostics very often did not want to leave the Church. Instead, they claimed to be offering a superior and more authentic exposition of Holy Scripture, though, of course, this was only for the ‘superior souls’. It inevitably encouraged not only an excited craving for higher initiation, but also an almost unbounded arrogance in those who had moved from mere ‘faith’ to real, enlightened ‘knowledge’.
Myth seeks the ascent of man to spirit; the Word of God seeks descent into flesh and blood. Myth wants power; revelation reveals the true power of God in the most extreme powerlessness. Myth wants knowledge; the Word of God asks for constant faith and, only within that faith, a growing, reverent understanding. The revelation of God’s Word is gentle patience amidst the intractable tensions of life. Error never shows itself in its naked reality, in order not to be discovered. On the contrary, it dresses elegantly, so that the unwary may be led to believe that it is more truthful than truth itself.”
Irenaeus of Lyons, The Scandal of The Incarnation, 180 AD
"The humility of the righteous will guide them, but the deceitfulness of the proud will destroy them."
Proverbs 11:2-3
“We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day. We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us. We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom. We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence. We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.”
Henri Nouwen, Advent Prayer
“The opposite of love is not hate, he said. It’s power. Relationships fueled by a drive for power, where one person seeks dominance over the other, are incapable of producing love.”
David Talbot, The Devil's Chessboard
"Surely, there is at this day a confederacy of evil, marshaling its hosts from all parts of the world, organizing itself, taking its measures, enclosing the Church of Christ as in a net, and preparing the way for a general Apostasy from it. This Apostasy, and all its tokens and instruments, are of the Evil One, and savour of death.
John Henry Newman, 1890
"Some crazy numbers in here. Big US Universities are really hedge funds with a side hustle in education. The gulf in pay between the fund managers and the Provost tells you everything you need to know."
Dr. James O'Leary, University College London, 2024
I never really understood until now why the President of Columbia just closed the university to all of their students and faculty.
They are getting in the way of the university's real business— the serving of money and power.
Stocks were off to the races today, squeezing the shorts and piling up those gains, going out near the highs.
The Dollar chopped sideways.
VIX fell, as is suitable for a 'risk on' day.
Gold and silver were in rally mode, after the recent sell off into Friday's Non-Farm Payrolls support.
Wow, what a coincidence.
No real data coming out until Wednesday, although earnings reports are still coming in.
The 'very serious people' of the financial and political sectors were gathering for the Michael Milken Global Institute meeting in Beverly Hills.
The mask is really coming off these days, isn't it.
You may have the privilege of seeing history in the making, as we have not seen for many, many years.
"The humility of the righteous will guide them, but the deceitfulness of the proud will destroy them." Proverbs 11:2-3
You can forecast things, and fairly well, but when they come true, you still can't quite believe it.
It is hard to overestimate the hypocrisy and lack of decency of the privileged few.
This reminds me a lot of the 1960's. But I think the music then was better.
And the times, they are a-changin'. Again.
Have a pleasant evening.
