Thursday, September 6, 2012

Here is another brilliant essay from Tom Farrell. I have for sometime, shared the view that my brother Tony was inspired by Krishna-ji. Please click on the link to read Tom's essay:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Jiddu-Krishnamurti-and-Ant-by-Thomas-Farrell-120904-214.html
Whether you agree or disagree, you will have to admit, the essay is articulate and beautifully written.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Dear Friends,
I would have posted this yesterday if my internet connection was in proper working order. It's back now and heres what I wanted to share:
Yesterday was my brother Tony's birthday. Were he alive today, he would have been 82.
All Shall Be Well Tony, my Brother!
I had written this some years ago and mailed it to a very dear relative who was unwell and feeling quite miserable. I am happy to report that she is well and happy now. I would like to share this essay with you.

A letter from God.

by Bill deMello
 Author of: Anthony deMello SJ, The Happy Wanderer.

Preface

There is so much religious unrest, animosity and hatred in the world today. I often wonder whether it’s always been like this.

I was born into a Catholic family; but as soon as I was old enough and free to make my own decisions, I distanced myself from the Church. I have never been tempted to seek divine intervention through any other religious organisation.

I do however respect the fact that every human being has the right to practise their faith in whatever manner they choose.

 When I was a child, I was taught by my mother and later by religious instructors, on methods of prayer. I was encouraged to ‘read’ from my prayer book and to repeatedly recite the rosary. A priest once asked me when I was very young, whether I ‘read’ my daily prayers. My reply got me into big trouble. I said, “No, I talk directly to God.”

Throughout my adult life I’ve employed the direct approach. I find communication with God is quicker, easier and more efficient. Going through intermediaries, takes ages and rarely produces the desired result. At times, when God doesn’t answer his phone, I write to Him!    
A very dear Aunt, (bless her departed soul), firmly believed in the power of prayer. She believed that the power of the Almighty was inscribed in her prayer book, never missing a day of ‘reading’ her prayers. She also enlisted reinforcements from time to time, requesting everyone she knew, to pray along with her. Some years ago she asked me to pray for the recovery of her grandson’s fiancĂ©e Marie who had been diagnosed with a very serious illness. God’s line was busy, so I wrote to Him. Here is His reply:

My dear Bill,

It’s so good to hear from you and to see you are happy, content and getting on with life. I wish there were more like you. I see that you have requested my intervention for a dear relative named Marie, who is quite ill at the moment. Bill, right now I am involved with so many pleas for help from so many quarters that I am run off my tired old feet.

Yesterday, Mary, Jesus’ dear mother, came to me with a plea from Mexico. There are so many places on Earth that lay claim to her name. She is referred to as Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Fatima, Mary of this and Mary of that. They even quarrel about which ‘Our Lady” is the most efficient and effective when submitting petitions and prayers. It appears the people in Mexico, are appealing to our lady of Guadalupe for help with failed corn crops. They don’t realise that the rains WILL come and they will survive this trial.

Gabriel reminded me the other day that I had to attend to the state of affairs in Africa. There is an alarming rate of suffering and anguish among the poor folk in that continent. I had to remind Gabriel that in due course all this would change for the better. Right now, matters would just have to run their course.

Peter of late has been pestering me to attend to the terrible state of affairs in the Middle East. There is so much hatred and conflict there at the moment. Peter reminded me that Jesus was born in that now miserable region and he is recognised as Jewish. Well, I reminded Peter that Jesus could have been born anywhere he pleased. It’s true, I did offer my Commandments to Moses and this somehow gives the Israelis the impression that they are the ‘chosen people.’ So they disregard the plight of others and then complain about the ramifications. I reminded Peter that these “chosen people” crucified Jesus. And to top it off, he asked me to forgive them! When I wonder, will humankind realise that when I created the world, I intended equality for all? If any one group of people think they are superior to others, they’ll just have to deal with the consequences.
Funnily enough, with or without religious connotations, my Commandments are incorporated into people’s daily lives through their respective governments and upheld by common law. Dictatorships of course are another matter; but even in these countries, the folk conduct themselves more or less with dignity and respect for one another.

Jesus and I were discussing the state of affairs right now, in some affluent ‘Christian’ countries.  It amazes me to see self-righteous Christians adopting a high moral ground. Quite a number of them are causing much grief to other religious communities, treating them like sub-humans. There is such a lack of empathy and love these days. Christians it appears think that I approved of Jesus’ crucifixion for their salvation alone. This is not at all the case. Jesus, like all the other prophets before him, volunteered to try and improve things for the betterment of all humankind; it’s the religious hierarchy that twisted and misinterpreted things to make it look like he died for Christians alone. All my children have my blessings no matter whether they belong to a religious group or not.

We called an urgent meeting of all the prophets the other day to evaluate the current religious state of affairs on Earth. It’s not just the Christians who are behaving badly. The prophets unanimously agreed that over millennia religion has changed. Rituals have been added or omitted, new off-shoots, sects and religious groups have arisen and they refer to me by different names but the concept remains constant. I forgive humankind for their weaknesses.  I understand that wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust and gluttony are all part of human nature. They quarrel and kill one another in my name, insisting that their religion is the only true one. To justify this behaviour in my name saddens me immensely. The meeting concluded without a resolution

Mother Teresa disturbed my peace this morning, lecturing me about the poverty and suffering in her precious slum. She told me she had everything under control there until I called her up to join my advisory committee. She is proud to have converted scores of non-believers to Christianity and is now concerned that the situation there will revert to its previous status. I reminded her that I never asked her to convert anyone in the first place. Gabriel warned me against appointing Teresa to the board of advisors up here. But it’s too late for that now. I’ve asked Gabriel to take her aside and remind her that I’m the Boss and I see that poverty and suffering exist all over the world. I leave it to people to sort things out themselves.

Your dear brother Tony sends his love. He was doing such wonderful work down there, enlightening and inspiring so many people.  Mind you, he did upset a few high ranking ‘officials’, by encouraging people not to believe in dogma and blind faith alone. I know you felt he was too young to die but these things are pre-destined and there is very little I can to do to change destiny.
By the way, your aunty has been pestering me with messages via Jesus for a couple of weeks. Jesus is busy, so his diligent secretary Mary Magdalene has been coming to me with requests for Marie’s recovery.

That’s all Mary is you know- his secretary. (That mischievous fellow Dan Brown really set tongues wagging with his book)

Would you please tell your aunty that I have received all her messages?

I’ll try and give Marie my urgent attention but I could be called away at short notice to attend to some other worldly problem and then her case will be put on hold. May I suggest a quicker path to her recovery? Marie should live one day at a time and stop worrying. I know humankind finds this very hard to do. They are constantly reviving the past or living in the future. How much happier their lives would be if they realise that everything, good or not so good, passes with time. I can assure you, everything happens for a purpose and for the best.

My dear Bill, as you well know, I can’t do everything. That’s precisely why I gave everyone a free will. My advice to Marie is to make good use of hers right now and will herself better. Having said that my dear boy, rest assured I will do all I can (when time permits), to ensure a speedy recovery.

I have to run along now and attend to with a multitude of things.

Don’t worry, all shall be well.

I send you love and blessings.

Your dear friend and father,

God.

Footnote: Marie recovered from her illness, is married and has an adorable baby girl.

 

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Still on the subject of Cardinal Martini, my friend sent me this link. I'm sure it will make interesting reading:
http://dekerivers.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/pope-benedict-does-not-attend-funeral-for-cardinal-martini/
He must have been a very brave man to speak out the way he did.
When I was growing up, I often heard my parents(my mother in particular) speak about Cardinal Martini. I had no idea who they were talking about. Today, I received a message from a Tony deMello admirer with an attachment which I would like to share with my friends. Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, in my view is a Super Hero! Batman, Superman, Spiderman, eat your hearts out! You are going to find this very interesting. Go to:


There is more to come so stay tuned friends.
I love you all,
Bill.