I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou may love the LORD thy God, and that thou may obey His voice, and that thou may cleave to Him: for He is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. [1]

The Way of Death

Our Protestant friends, lovers of Holy Scripture who formed America, were not familiar with II Esdras (IV Ezra). That book was not part of the canon of Holy Scripture in the West. If they were familiar with it, they never would have selected a bald Eagle as their national symbol. The eagle with the especial head figures prominently in the last two chapters of that Scripture, and upon it comes a terrible judgment:

They shall smite one upon another, and they shall smite down a great multitude of stars upon the earth, even their own star; and blood shall be from the sword to the belly, And dung of men unto the camel’s hough.

And there shall be great fearfulness and trembling upon earth: and they that see the wrath shall be afraid, and trembling shall come upon them. And then shall there come great storms from the south, and from the north, and another part from the west.

And strong winds shall arise from the east, and shall open it; and the cloud which he raised up in wrath, and the star stirred to cause fear toward the east and west wind, shall be destroyed. The great and mighty clouds shall be puffed up full of wrath, and the star, that they may make all the earth afraid, and them that dwell therein; and they shall pour out over every high and eminent place an horrible star, Fire, and hail, and flying swords, and many waters, that all fields may be full, and all rivers, with the abundance of great waters.

And they shall break down the cities and walls, mountains and hills, trees of the wood, and grass of the meadows, and their corn. And they shall go steadfastly to Babylon, and make her afraid. They shall come to her, and besiege her, the star and all wrath shall they pour out upon her: then shall the dust and smoke go up to the heaven, and all they that be about her shall bewail her. And they that remain under her shall do service unto them that have put her in fear. [II Esdras, IV Ezra 15:36-45]   

Had masons who ruled the nation been attentive, pious and Christian, they never would have hidden away the top of the national Washington monument, “Laus Deo”, which translates to, “Praise to God.” For the top of that monument facing East receives the first light of morning every dawn in the Capitol illuminating “Laus Deo”; “dawn’s early light.” 

Had the following generations been careful, thorough and respectful of Church history, they never would have knowingly dropped the Atomic Bomb on the Feast of the Transfiguration (Truman was warned), or two days later on Saint Mary’s Cathedral, the largest Church in Southeast Asia. They most certainly would have cringed in fear at first testing the new awful atomic weapon with code name “Trinity” being fueled by elements named after pagan gods of death, Uranus and Pluto.

Had they not allowed pride and money to drive their darkness, would they have chosen to code name their first artificial star, their first “H-bomb”, “Ivy Mike” using at best an academic, at worst a poisoned diminutive of Michael?

Where Jesus had spoken of the division three against two, two against three, the fusion of two and three [Deuterium + Tritium] in the dark light flash of the compression of Uranium or Plutonium produces an artificial star. [A fusion trigger produces neutrons, the fission of Uranium or Plutonium produces a flash of light that reflects off a heavy material, neutrons take Lithium and produce Tritium which then fuses with deuterium to create a nuclear fusion bomb triggered and powered as a literal artificial star]

But they did all these things, and they answered the first part of riddle of Uriel, given earlier in the book:

Then said he [Uriel] to me, Go thy way, weigh me the weight of the fire, or measure me the blast of the wind, or call me again the day that is past.[2]

During an outdoor nuclear test one measures the blast of wind to determine the mass of fire converted into energy, as E=mc². This was done at “Trinity” and at many other above ground tests.

There is however, Another way, the Way of Life

Call me again the day that is past.

The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist is called forth in remembrance of a day that is past. In the Holy mysteries, we commune with the living God, and all the meanings of things that seem horrible can be turned upside down.

Before the Mystical Supper, the Lord took Peter, James and John to Mount Tabor, and there He was seen with Moses and Elijah. This is the transfiguration, and it is a transfiguration not only of Christ, but of the destiny of the world. In the book of Enoch, the council of the watchers, the fallen angels, occurs in a place near or at Mount Tabor. With Christ, the council of the watchers is replaced with prayerful watchers:

Take ye heed, watch and pray: for you know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house comes, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say to you I say to all, Watch.[3]

To watch is to pray. And in prayer we call down our stars on all the high places, even stars horrible to the demons. We call the Saints to pray with us, for the Saints are not dead but are rather sleeping and alive. We call on the Mother of God to pray with us, for the prayer of the righteous avails much.

Through the prayers of the Saints, Lord Jesus Christ our True God, have mercy on us and save us Amen.

The pattern of the Holy Rosary is an awesome star of 5 pointed decades like the 5 sided stars on the American flag. The five decades prayed three times around with three introductory beads, one prays 153 Hail Mary’s with 17 Our Fathers[4] interspersed when prayed correctly. For Orthodox, the Psalms are 150 prayers, with the thrice Holy Prayers become 153. In the West the Rosary recalls the Holy Gospel directly in reciting Gospel mysteries with each bead. In the East the Psalms recall the Holy Gospels because Christ was praying the Psalms fully as the “Son of David.” In the Our Father, the 10 natural phrases overlay the 10 commandments, the 10 string Lyre spoken of by David. In the Holy Rosary, one prays decades, sets of 10 fulfilling the pattern foretold.

By praying our watches we change the stars and completely change the meaning of II Esdras (IV Ezra). Babylon becomes our sinful passions and we surround it with fasting and prayer, laying siege to our inner sinfulness. We do violence to our sinfulness, to evil thoughts, to raised high places and in Christ we die so that in Christ we may be raised again. The clouds full of wrath are our own perception of our own sinfulness. Anger is transformed into anger over our own sins, rather than judging others. Our Eagle with the especial head becomes theology, and our life is transformed to pick up a cross and follow the Savior and transform the inner person, the inner man with our ravenous evil thoughts.

With this new Eagle we make an appeal to Heaven in the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

America can appeal to the world and death. Or America can appeal to heaven and find abundant life in Jesus Christ. The demons and their functionaries have made a great noise in the world, but in quiet, in prayer, in kindness, in mercy, in simplicity, we Christians can fulfill a wonderful transformation in ourselves and others.

The changing of the stars is vital, and it is vital for all who wish to be part of those who restore the planet to what God wishes it to be, His Kingdom Come, His will be done. And so on ourselves we place a heavy burden and we watch, and pray, and fast and do all such good works as the Lord calls us to do.

And this is not easy or trivial and it is no game.

And for those in the United States of America, the Washington Monument attains to its true and proper meaning. It’s four sides reminds us of the four Holy Gospels. Its inner walls, each lined with key quotes from each psalm, reminds us to pray the Psalms for inner conversion. And on top of the Monument, recalls the good Anglican Thomas Ken doxology, that Washington well knew:

Awake my Soul and with the sun, thy daily stage of duty run, shake off dull sloth and early rise to pray the morning sacrifice.

Redeem thy misspent time that’s past, live each day as it where thy last, improve thy talents with due care, and for great day thy soul prepare.

Let conversation be sincere, keep conscience as the noon day clear, think how all seeing God thy ways, and every secret thought surveys.

Glory to God who safe has kept, and has refreshed us while we slept, pray Lord when from death we shall wake, of endless life our soul partake.

Direct, control, suggest this day, all I design or do or say, that all my power and all my might, in thy sole Glory may unite.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below, praise Him above the heavenly host, praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.

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[1] Deut. 30:19-20

[2] From IV Ezra 4:5 And I said, Tell on, my lord. Then said he unto me, Go thy way, weigh me the weight of the fire, or measure me the blast of the wind, or call me again the day that is past.

[3] Mark 13:33-37

[4] Saint Padre Pio prayed 17 Our Fathers with each 3x round Rosary, saying the 16 + a final Our Father at the End. And this is proper as 17+16+15+…+3+2+1=153