________________________________________________ <*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*><*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*>S< ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ *** The Little Worker's Newsletter *** ________________________________________________ <*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*><*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*>S< ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Published by CDTTT- The Committee for the Difussion of The Third Testament December 2001 _________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS: - First Word - The Gifts Within Part XIII - Christmas Season: Merchants in the Temple? - Christmas Teaching - Last Word ________________________________________________ <*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*><*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*>S< ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ -The Gifts Within Part XIII The Gift of Spiritual Analysis 2 In our everyday life, there are many occasions in which the practice of the spiritual gift of analysis, gives us a powerful tool to learn and improve our knowledge over a myriad of things and subjects. I guess that all of us are aware that our basic method of learning, since early childhood, is the one we call "trial and error"; this is the way we finally get to walk properly, to coordinate many of our basic physical functions and so forth. And of course, there is also the other method, the finest one, which is learning from someone that already have the knowledge that we need, mainly our parents and teachers. But both methods render their optimal results upon us when we apply the faculty of analysis to them. We know too, for instance, that when a teacher explains to us not only how things function but also why they do it, our knowledge grows and expands even to territories never explored before. Just the same could happen with those things in life from which we can extract hidden lessons and even wisdom, let aside knowledge. What we call ordeals are in reality the most important of those hidden lessons, and they will end being a blessing in disguise if we take the time to analyze them in the same manner as scientists analyze the rocks from Mars or the human cells, studying them from all possible angles and searching for the right answers. And the answers will come, if we analyze carefully those events in life that makes us stop and meditate. After all, everything happens for a reason, and this is a fact that even fortune cookie makers are aware of. It is only a matter of asking the key question: Why? Because in order to get us to master life, the secret is not to ask only "how" but "why"... We all are disciples in this human life we have, and there are teachings all around us if only we could appreciate them and see them under the magnifying glass of spiritual analysis. Each and every single day brings us the opportunity to learn, to comprehend, to undo mistakes and to correct bad deeds, therefore advancing step by step in the never-ending path of evolution that leads to perfection. _______________________________________________ HIGHLIGHTS: Spiritual analysis as a useful tool. We should study and analyze our ordeals as scientists do with the rocks from Mars. We should always ask why. Spiritual analysis helps us to advance in our search for perfection _______________________________________________ ________________________________________________ <*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*><*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*>S< ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ - Christmas Season: Merchants in the Temple? We are again in that season of the year that signals, for Christendom, the evocation of the day in which Jesus, the Christ and our Lord, was born. And certainly, the tenderness triggered in many by the remembrance of the scene of a young virgin giving birth to Her son in a humble stable, touches and sensitizes, if only for a day, the hearts of even the most reluctant Scrooges that surround us. Surely, many of us still regard this season as a opportunity to get in touch with all our loved ones, to renew bonds of friendship and to mend some broken ties thru reconciliation with those that we hurted or that hurted us. But, alas! Somehow, somewhat inadvertently, the merchants found their way into the temple and they rub their hands as they hear their most wonderful sound of the year. The sound of the voices of Christmas' carolers? Perhaps the sound of Tchaikowski's Nutcracker? Certainly not. Which is this sound I am referring to? The chi-ching of their cash machine. And so it seems that, finally, the most sacred season of the year has been corrupted by human greed. Don't get me wrong. It is not that we should rise our left eyebrow because someone happens to make a honest buck out of the need of many people for getting stuffed turkeys or all kinds of presents for their love ones, no. The greedy megabussinesses that have commercialized Christmas, are the ones that we should be concerned about. Very, very concerned. Because, you see, as market reigns and Wall Street rules, the spiritual connotation of Christmas gets buried deeper and deeper every new year that passes. And specially this Christmas when again the white snowflakes seem to have a touch of blood painted by all the horrifying events that are developing in many parts of the world, is when we need to recover the lost spiritual meaning in today's Christmas celebrations. I hate to rain in your parade but the truth is that many of the customs and little rituals that we came to cherish since childhood are based in paganism and have nothing to do with the root of Christianity. Am I sounding too strong? Allow me the benefit of the doubt and hold your response for the brief minutes that would take you to read the following: ======================= - The "Christmas" tree. ======================= A Nordic pagan custom that, in turn, was an adaptation of the ancient cult to Aserah, a pagan deity. Nobody knows for certain how in the world this custom found its way into Christian celebrations. The apostles certainly never set a tree with gifts and lights as part of their devotion to the Divine Master, it would been preposterous to them since this is forbidden in the Bible. Read Ezekiel 20:28. Look what Jeremiah wrote: "Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not." Jeremiah 10:2-4 The custom to tie fruits and attached candles to evergreen tree branches, comes from the ancient Druids in Northern Europe, who made this, in honor of their god Woden! Gosh! And all this time you have truly believed to be worshipping God by decorating your family Christmas tree. Trees were viewed as symbolizing eternal life. Woden is the same deity after which Wednesday was named. The trees joined holly, mistletoe, the wassail bowl and the Yule log as symbols of the season. Sounds familiar? ============= -Santa Claus. ============= The jolly ho-ho guy so dear to children all over the Christian world, seems to be only a Urban legend. Among simple Christians, there is a near universal belief that St. Nicholas was a Bishop from Asia Minor, who died in the middle of the fourth century. Problem is, that according to serious religious historians (both Protestants and Catholics), there is no evidence to indicate that St. Nicholas even existed as a human. In fact, there are quite a few indicators that he was simply a recycled Pagan god, just the same as many other ancient Pagan gods and goddesses were Christianized in the early centuries of Christianity to gain followers for the new creed. It seems to have been created out of legends attributed to the Greek god Poseidon, the Roman god Neptune, and the Teutonic god Hold Nickar. When the church created the persona of St. Nicholas, they adopted Poseidon's title "the Sailor." They seem to have picked up his last name from Nickar. Various temples of Poseidon became shrines of St. Nicholas. Santa Claus (obviously a popular nickname) also adopted some of the qualities of "The Grandmother" or Befana from Italy. She was said to have filled children's stockings with gifts. Her shrine at Bari was also converted later into a shrine to St. Nicholas. Coincidence? The most modern avatar of Santa Claus was created by the printed media in the United States in 1773, just as later on they will create Mother's Day. The advertising then was focused in Saint A. Claus, because they tried to push sales on the Dutch community, that already had the legend of Sinter Klaas. It resulted a wonderful and easy technique to improve sales of all sorts of things since the Dutch inmigrants brought also the custom of exchanging gifts at Christmas. ==================================== - December 25 as the birth of Jesus. ==================================== We already had this delicate topic discussed here. You can read the page we have with the comments regarding this at http://144000.net/birth.htm If you wish, read it and then return to complete your reading of this section of our newsletter. ================ Christmas Itself ================ There is not a single word in the New Testament, or anywhere in the Bible, telling Christians to observe Christmas. The believers of the first century, under the inspired teachings of Peter, and Paul, and the apostles, never observed it. There is no bible authority for its observance, strange as it may seem. But something more profound emerges from the way the world celebrates the birth of Jesus, the Christ. Please, read carefully and analyze this: "God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth." John 4:24. Worshipping Christ through honoring His birthday on a day which is not even His birthday, borrowing many Pagan customs in the process, certainly is very far from worshipping Him in Spirit and in truth. ========== Conclusion ========== So... we, as followers of the divine teachings of the Third Era are to stop celebrating the birth of the Messiah? Certainly not. But there is a difference, a very important one. "O! Blessed and beloved people! Keep those sacred remembrances deep within your heart, and may they be the pathway and the light in your life. If you observe that, during these commemorations, men go beyond the limits of respect for the divine and fall into profanations, forgive them as I forgive them, and I will make My light reach them too. "Humanity: During these days when you commemorate the birthday of Jesus, you allow peace to enter your heart, and it is then when you appear like a united and happy family. I know that not all hearts feel a sincere happiness when they remember My coming to this world in that period. Very few are those who devote themselves to meditation and spiritual withdrawal, letting that happiness be internal and that the feast of remembrance be in the spirit. "Nobody must think that I come to erase from your heart the purest feast that you celebrate in the year, when you commemorate the Nativity of Jesus. I only come to teach you to give to the world what pertains to the world, and to the spirit what pertains to the spirit, because if you have so many feasts to celebrate human events, why don’t you leave this feast to the spirit, so that he, converted into a child, draws near to offer Me his present of love, so that he acquires the simplicity of the shepherds to adore Me, and the humility of the wise to bow their heads and present their science before the owner of the true wisdom? "This is the most tender commemoration of the many you observe for your Master. The hearts of the children overflow in jubilation, and that of the elders is flooded with peace and hope in the Saviour. "You who have the grace of hearing this word, are of the few who commemorate this feast without rituals, celebrating it within the pureness of the heart. In that manner you could not fall into profanation. "It is because the comprehension has reached your mind, that the best commemoration, the one that pleases the most before the Lord, is the one that you do when you apply to your life, the examples of the Master, when you live His Doctrine." (The Book of The True Life- The Third Testament) So, the answer is simple: Let us rejoice and celebrate with spirituality and true worship the blessed day in which the Light and the Word descended to our world. December, September or whatever date you choose to do so, is totally irrelevant to the profound spiritual meaning of the event we celebrate, since it shall be a festivity in our heart and spirit. We must respect the beliefs of our fellow persons. Sure, if they ask us we must them tell the truth that we know, but aside from it, they have all the right to do whatever they wish in line with their personal ideas to worhsip our Lord the best they can. But we can do better, much better. ________________________________________________ <*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*><*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*>S< ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ -Christmas Teaching As these past few years, again we suggest that you take the time to go to our page at http://144000.net/christms.htm and get yourself some printed copies from it to pass them along to your loved ones, and better yet, you can read it while celebrating with your family and friends. Or you can email it too! ________________________________________________ <*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*><*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*>S<*>Y<*>S< ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ -Last Word Dearly beloved: As this moment, my heart is filled with so much concern about all of our brothers and sisters in pain. It just doesn't matter in which side of the cultural or political spectrum they were born or they align by their own decision. It doesn't matter if they are Jews or Palestinians, Americans or Pashtuns, Muslims or Christians, they all are children of God and they all need our prayers, our good will and our love. O, how much power it could emanate if we all unite our spiritual plea in behalf of them and present it to our Father and ask for His light and wisdom to touch the hearts and minds of the misguided leaders of the world! And I humbly ask you that at the moment when you will be gathering with your loved ones during these Holidays, quietly, silently, dedicate a moment for all those that are alone and suffering violence, hunger and death. Your brother in the Lord The Little Worker ***** past issues at http://144000.net/newsletter/ *****