I always hear church goers today saying that “we” are all sinners.  Then they say but for the grace of god.  First of all, who are the ‘we’ that I hear speak about.  I don’t pride myself in being a sinner.  In fact I avoid mortal sin, you know those ten commandments God gave Moses to live by.  Well they still apply to you and me today. A violation of one is as if you violated all of them.  I don’t know of anyone who would consider murder a good action.  The Ten Commandments provide us guideline within which we should live our lives.  Then we have Christ’s two other commands which were not new but he heavily emphasized these two because God had also commanded them through the Old Testament.  Love your neighbor as yourself and love God with all of your heart soul mind and strength.  These two commands encompass the whole of the Ten Commandments since if you follow these two then you will not violate the ten.  But these two go much farther and way beyond the Ten Commandments.  Can you see that they cover hatred and greed and jealousy and gossip? We must avoid these sins also.
     So when I hear that ‘we’ are all sinners, church goers should be saying we were ‘once’ all sinners. I don’t pride myself in being a sinner.  Do you? What good is your church and Christ who gave his life if you are still sinners?  Christ died in vain as far as “we” are concerned.  I think church goers use that phrase ‘we are all sinners’ as an excuse, as a crutch. Some theologians make a living declaring all of humanity as depraved.  They claim that there is not one ounce of good in ‘we’ human beings.  And these theologians claim that Christ’s death was like a cloak or veil thrown over ‘we’ sinners to hide our depravity.  I feel sorry for these so called theologians.  I bet Paul, Peter and John did not consider themselves depraved.  In fact they had a light within that exuded love of neighbor and God. Our postmodern world has completely lost touch with the light and grace provided by God.  This light and grace was first the Ten Commandments and then the two additional commands provided by Christ regarding love.  Love will dispel and overcome all depravity.  Yet ‘we’ have removed the ten from our schools and on public buildings, even from our churches. We have removed the ten plus two from our hearts. We have become a feel good society, if it feels good to you, just do it because we are all sinners. ‘We’ have come to believe these heretic theologians and “we” are rapidly becoming depraved human beings in the process.

     The angels are spiritual beings who act as intermediaries between God and man: "You have made him (man) a little less than the angels." (Psalm 8:6). They, equally with man, are created beings. Angels are of two types, God’s emissaries, like Michael and guardian angels. That every individual soul has a guardian angel has never been defined by the Church, and is, consequently, not an article of faith; but a phrase in the New Testament implies their existence. "See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 18:10). Good spiritual beings, angels do exist. If our guardian angel is always around, why do we drink too much, commit adultery, get in car wrecks, fall and break bones, lie, cheat or steal or fuss at our wives and kids?
     Bad spiritual beings also exist.  There is a spiritual world which we do not see nor can we detect with our five senses of touch, smell, sight, taste or hearing.  We sometimes come into contact with this other world (cosmic world) through mental perception, emotion or conscious and subconscious desires. But there is a barrier that we humans are not allowed to cross. Like it or not, within our physical world here on earth, there are spiritual forces that govern our external, material existence and our internal mental world.  The major spiritual force, the Holy Spirit of the Trinity, is always present both in our material world and in the world beyond.  It is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent.  The other forces which transcend or travel between our material world and the cosmic world are the minor spiritual forces of angels: good angels and bad angels. There are legions upon legions of angels. We know Satan is a fallen angel and he took one third of the good angels with him as his minions when he rebelled. Of course, every time God creates a soul at human conception, He creates and assigns it a guardian angel-an offshoot or sprout of the Holy Spirit.  These guardian angels attach themselves to the soul for eternity, not through a physical attachment but more like an assignment of responsibility.  These assignments can be interrupted, however. For example, when one lies or steals, the holy protection is withdrawn. When abortions occur, these guardian angels become evil and join the team of Satan. When we die, our guardian angels escorts our soul to its proper destination. Our guardian angels are in constant battle with the demonic forces (bad angels) in this cosmic world, the world that transcends our perceptions.  Unfortunately we are never exposed to the actual combat. We have no direct contact through our five senses with this spiritual realm (cosmic world) and the war within. We only see and experience the consequences of these battles-drink too much, commit adultery, get in car wrecks, fall and break bones, lie, cheat or steal or fuss at our wives and kids. Or we love our neighbor, help feed the poor, remain faithful to our spouses, support and embrace our children and exist in peace, joy and lovingkindness.
     When you are filled with the spiritual force of the Trinity, no minor forces can have an effect on your mind or your soul.  Only when the Trinity force is absent can minor forces appear and exert their power.  Even though the Holy Spirit of the Trinity it is always present in this world, it may not always be present within human beings.  The reason is that the host, our body, mind and soul, is not open for its reception.  When we exclude the major spiritual force of the Trinity for whatever reason, the lower powers gain authority to influence our human will and by extension our physical environment.  The strength and disposition of the human mind and soul will determine the reaction of the will when attacked by the minor demonic spirits or when helped by our guardian angel.  The good angels can regain control of our human material and inner mental world when the soul is in proper disposition.  If the soul is flawed or depraved because of improper human desires or physical defect, the evil spirits are able to influence the human will towards vices and depravity.  While the good angels are omnipresent, the bad angels are just the opposite.  They come and go.  They are not all- powerful or all-knowing either.  They can be managed and handled by the good angels and more importantly by human will.  But the human will must be cooperative and receptive to the assistance made available by the good angels and God’s grace.  The good angels will not act unless the human mind and soul is in the proper disposition.  The protection of a guardian angel is a wonderful mystery.  But be aware that good angels do not have the same power as the Holy Spirit.  If it is your desire to be completely shielded from the fiery darts of the evil one, you must pray for and ask that the Holy Spirit invade every cell of your being. Otherwise you will often be calling on the help of your guardian angel.
     So what is the proper disposition needed for the assistance of your guardian angel.  It is the same disposition required for the coming of the Holy Spirit.  This may sound like the same old routine.  But here it goes again.  The requirement: a 100 % belief in and acceptance of the Trinity (you cannot have any doubts- you cannot leave this first step unless you are fully committed, all in); confess your sins to those offended and a priest with contrite hearts;  resolve to never sin again; partake in the sacraments; avoid every vice, embrace every virtue; live a life as Christ lived; love God with all your heart, mind soul and strength; love your neighbor as yourself; die to old self and become reborn in your spirit by the holy spirit.  The Holy Spirit may come and go from you because you have let your guard down in one of the above mentioned areas when your concupiscence is tweaked by the bad angels, but our God has provided us with a guardian angel to shore us up in our weak moments. When we have failed in one of these battles in the cosmic arena, made a mess of our physical world and our flank has been exposed to the fiery darts, rest assured that your guardian angel is waiting on your cry of distress. How amazing is that?

      Most scholars believe that 1 Peter was not written by the Apostle Peter and that it was written to a Gentile audience.  I am no scholar but I believe that they have it completely wrong.  I Peter is a letter and a baptismal homily to the Jews.  Peter was the apostle to the Jews just as Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles.  Peter mentions Noah as a baptism by water.  Then he begins weird statements about Jesus going down to hell and saving the prophets of old (Baptism by fire).  These Jews to whom he is writing, just like the Israelites and prophets of old,  are currently going through a baptism by fire. The epistle is addressed to "the exiles of the diaspora and the elect" (Jews) in Asia Minor.  The audience is undergoing suffering both of a verbal and physical nature.  This suffering is the persecution from the Romans as a result of the Jewish rebellion taking place in Jerusalem.  Peter requests that they submit to the emperor.  The audience is a chosen race, a royal priesthood, God’s own people. But the new house of God is no longer the temple in Jerusalem. The human body has become the temple in His earthly kingdom. Peter is writing as a priest of the Catholic Church in the new kingdom and as a personal witness of Christ.
      I believe 1 peter was written a few years before or immediately after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. It was addressed to the Jews in Asia Minor who were either slaves or freedmen who were either Christians or  were converting to Christianity. The Jews began a revolt in 66 A.D. when the Roman procurator increased taxes.    The Romans tried to militarily quell the revolt but initially failed.  Vespasian and Titus were sent in to siege the city under orders of Nero and Jerusalem finally fell in 70 A.D. Many fled Jerusalem before the destruction. Titus wanted to preserve the temple, but his soldiers were so angry at the resilient Jews that they burned it. The remaining Jews were slaughtered or sold as slaves. Peter was in Rome as either a free man or a prisoner with Paul by 66 or 67 A.D.  Peter writes, “The church here in Babylon, united with you by God’s election, sends you her greeting; so does my son, Mark.”  1 Peter was written to the fleeing Jews in the various towns of Asia Minor.  I think many became Christian after the diaspora because they saw the destruction of Jerusalem as punishment for their sin. Peter was consoling them and inviting them to follow the Way, a new sect of Jews who believe in Christ. Peter and Paul were eventually martyred in Rome around 68 A.D., before Jerusalem finally fell to the Rome siege in 70 A.D. and before Nero committed suicide.

          The process of conversion for Saint Francis in 1205 was not that much unlike the conversion of Saint Benedict in 500 A.D. or Saint Augustine in 386 A.D. All three experienced a learning curve.  But with dedicated practice of ascetic rules for each, the results were triumphant.  Francis was the son of a wealthy textile merchant and became disenchanted with worldly possessions.  Because he gave his coat to a poor knight, who was badly dressed, he heard the words “All of these things were for him and his knights” (Bonaventure, P532). Francis thought that these words were a command to pursue prosperity so he left his home town of Assisi in pursuit thereof, but the Lord told him to return to Assisi and wait for spiritual guidance from God’s divine plan.  He moaned and groaned but prayed to the Lord and the Lord on the cross appeared to him in an old church.  “From then on, he clothed himself with a spirit of poverty, a sense of humility and an eagerness for intimate piety” {Bonaventure, p. 534). Christ again appeared to him and commanded him to repair the dilapidated churches.  The third church he rebuilt, the Most Blessed Virgin Mother of God, was where he made his home. He did physically repair churches, but Francis later realized that that commandment was for a spiritual revival of mother Church. Francis turned into a great man of piety.  His faith allowed him to perform miracles.  With his soul converted, Francis swiftly gained a large following such that he was obligated to update his personal Primitive Rule (To follow the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and to walk in his footsteps) and wrote the Later Rule. Like the Rule of Augustine and the Benedictine Rule, his cannon helped guide the formation of his self and his followers.
            Here is a brief summary of Francis’ Later Rule: To observe the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience without anything of our own, and in chastity; Believe all Catholic faith and sacraments of the church and wish to confess them faithfully; no wives; sell all they have, and attempt to give it to the poor; promise to observe this life and rule always; absolutely forbidden them to leave the order; brothers are to wear inexpensive clothing; Clerics are to perform the divine office; Laymen are to say twenty-four "Our Fathers" at matins; five at lauds; seven each at prime, terce, sext and none; twelve at vespers; and seven at compline; They should also pray for the dead; They should fast from the feast of all saints until Christmas; They must fast during Lent; They must not ride on horseback; strictly forbid the brothers to receive money; the gift of working should done faithfully; The brothers should appropriate neither house, nor place, nor anything for themselves; they should go confidently after alms, serving God in poverty and humility, as pilgrims and strangers in this world;  penances to be imposed on sinning brothers; The brothers are always bound to have a brother of the order as general minister; provincial ministers; And no brother should dare preach to the people unless he has been examined and approved by the minister general of his brotherhood and the office of preaching has been conceded to him; strictly obey their ministers in all those things which they have promised the Lord to observe and which are not contrary to the soul and to our rule; brothers to avoid suspicious meetings or conversations with women and to stay out of the convents of nuns; any who wish to go among the Saracens(Muslims) and other infidels must ask permission from their provincial ministers; and obedience to the Pope. (The Later Rule of Saint Francis).
            These rules reflect a pure love for humanity. Francis’ desire was to isolate and alienate his own human nature in order to serve humanity through a spiritual nature.  Where the Benedictines wished to reach God through a repression and transformation of their human nature, the Franciscans, seemed to have already gained control of their human nature and attempted to remain in touch with their spiritual nature by ministering to the poor both through offering the word and material goods. The Franciscans subsisted on alms.  Some did work and gave back to their community.  They pledged to live as Christ and His apostles lived. They, unlike the Benedictines who isolated themselves from the world, sustained their love for Christ by sharing that spiritual love with others.  They became ambassadors for Christ and were not confined within the four walls of the Church.
            I can only explain the differences in mindset between the Benedictines and the Franciscans as a result of the times in which they lived.  The Benedictines began in the later part of the fourth century.  Rome was under the process of siege and collapse.  The heights of power, possessions and pleasure were exposed to humanity and the Benedictines sought to escape this depravity.  They retreated from the world to reform and transform themselves.  The Franciscans, on the other hand, appeared some 700 years later when Western Europe had descended into the Dark ages, the medieval period. “Depopulation, deurbanization, invasion, and movement of peoples, which had begun in Late Antiquity, continued in the Early Middle Ages. The barbarian invaders, including various Germanic peoples, formed new kingdoms in what remained of the Western Roman Empire. In the 7th century, North Africa and the Middle East—once part of the Eastern Roman Empire—came under the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate, an Islamic empire, after conquest by Muhammad's successors. Although there were substantial changes in society and political structures, the break with Antiquity” was nearly complete… “Controversy, heresy, and the Western Schism within the Catholic Church paralleled the interstate conflict, civil strife, and peasant revolts that occurred in the kingdoms.” (Wikipedia).  Saint Francis lived in the middle of this confusion when cities began to form and the monasteries became rich bastions of corruption.  God gave him the responsibility to rebuild the Church, not from within its four walls but through evangelization.  The times in which they lived clearly distinguish the viewpoints of each Saint.  While the Benedictines ran away from the depravity that was forged during the height of intellectual achievement and stability of political rule, the Franciscans sought a return to such intellect and stability while excluding the depravity. The Benedictines worked to repair self.  The Franciscans worked to repair the Church. Both worked under the authority of God with the guidance of Christ and the Holy Spirit. Both dedicated their lives to God.

I am writing with my apologetic hat today.  I was reading a book entitled The Writings of the New Testament by Luke Timothy Johnson.  In chapter 19 he writes that many theologians today take the position that the pastoral letters are inauthentic, that they were not written by Paul. I would venture to say that most of these scholars who take this position are protestant theologians, to me an oxymoron. The use the words protestant and theologian back to back or in succession is to place apparently contradictory terms in conjunction. Protestants cannot be theologians because they are not a part of the Church Christ started over 2000 years ago.  They are a members of churches started by renegade Catholic priests (Luther and Calvin) some 500 years ago. They teach false doctrine that Paul so often warned us about.  They are wolves in sheep’s clothing.  They were declared heretics by the universal church at the Council of Trent.  Johnson implies in his book that these “theologians” object to the pastoral letters as authentic because they “contain an elaborate ecclesial structure.” So called protestant theologians always object to any evidence that may support the supremacy of the Pope and the Catholic Church’s hierarchy. It’s the similar objection they make to the epistle of James who placed much emphasis on ‘works.’ The goal of most protestant theologians is to dismantle or weaken the universal church.  That is why most refuse to look outside of the four corners of the bible, in other words, they refuse to look at tradition. Many if not most Catholic priests and bishops can trace their rights of ordination back to the original apostles.  I would venture to say that these protestant theologians can only trace their roots to Calvin or Luther.  Many ask today why the church is losing membership and why the laity are so confused about morality? The answer is Protestant theologians.