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To: Romulus
Careful with the "my Jesus" talk. Jesus is the Truth;

I accept the truth of his unavoidable nakedness on the cross. I also accept the truth that he was usually clothed, as was everyone else in that scenario other than the two thieves. In my meditations, I prefer the clothed version. I never thought of it much otherwise other than some really nasty thoughts about Jesus induced by the devil which I had to put out of my mind. I don't want to dwell there.

82 posted on 03/27/2004 9:33:36 AM PST by Aliska
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To: Aliska
I understand and sincerely sympathise with the spiritual warfare in which you find yourself. With all respect, I'd like to suggest that if the devil is tempting you with really nasty thoughts about the suffering of the naked Lord, it may be precisely because the devil hates the thought of anyone contemplating His Passion, and thus searches for ways to make it a stumbling block. The devil works by exploiting specific weakness in your spiritual defenses. It's the very nature of the devil to tempt you with lewd thoughts and then to accuse you of sin in entertaining those very thoughts, which you never asked for and do not want. Remember that the word "devil" comes from the Greek word for "slanderer", because he works by accusing us of our sinfulness, hoping to tempt us to despair. Do you remember the demon children in The Passion of the Christ who torment Judas with accusations of being under a curse? That's how the devil seeks to drive man to despair and death.

Go back to Genesis, where the Lord demands of Adam: "Who told you that you were naked?" The answer of course is the devil, who accuses us of our sinfulness and then tempts us to hide from God because of fear -- as if hiding from God were even possible. Recall that in Genesis it's God who even after the Fall goes looking for Man: "Where are you?" Finally, recall the message repeated at the Annunciation, the Nativity, and the Resurrection:

"Be not afraid."

91 posted on 03/27/2004 1:17:22 PM PST by Romulus ("Behold, I make all things new")
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