"Way by Way"
by
Paul Andrew Mitchell, B.A., M.S.
Counselor at Law, Federal Witness
and Private Attorney General
All Rights Reserved
Place yourself in the position of Moses, as he leads a huge
following of former slaves to the shore of the Red Sea. It has
taken Herculean effort to reach this point, so stubborn and set
in their ways are these once Egyptian captives.
Knowing that Pharaoh's Army is close behind, Moses must
deliver a miracle, actually two miracles, or his folly will shame
his memory forever.
The first miracle Moses must deliver is to invent a sea
crossing, with nothing more than the power of his faith, and
nothing else. For, the power he needs is nothing less than the
Energy which powers the universe -- the Most High Creator.
The second miracle Moses must deliver is to maintain an
entire society, as it wanders for 40 years in a bleak desert.
The Most High had earlier inspired him to realize that an entire
generation of mind control must pass, before a new leadership
could prepare to take this society on to its destination.
Like so many stories in the Old Testament, the actual events
were each allegories pointing to a future as yet unfulfilled,
prophecies to generations still to come. Moses, parting the sea
and feeding multitudes with daily miracles, was an example, a
precursor, of Christ the Son of the Most High.
This leads us to a pivotal question: if Moses was a
precursor for Christ, was Christ a Precursor for each of us? The
answer is yes, if we will but ponder the essential mystery that
connects the Most High, Christ, and us.
For many Christians, it is essential to regard Christ's
divinity as paramount. Thus, on a line connecting God with man,
Christ is not situated half-way between the two; He is situated
more closely to the Godhead in this schema. Thus, it is this
paramount position which gives special authority to all the
teachings of Christ.
However, Christians often forget particular messages which
Christ Himself said He had come to deliver to us. One of these
special messages is that our faith would empower us to do
everything He had done -- and even more so -- like parting
oceans, moving mountains, and manifesting abundance, and life.
By becoming man, Christ was acting as an example, as a
precursor beckoning each of us to become more like Him and, in
that process, more like the Most High God. And, how would one of
us become more like Him?
The answer is at the very core of the Christian experience.
The answer is eternal life.
By submitting Himself to a terribly violent death at a
relatively young age, Christ was telling us that we no longer
needed to fear death, that He had conquered death, that it no
longer had any "sting" left in it.
Was this a metaphorical Christ speaking, or was He being
literal when He spoke these things?
Christ was being quite literal: each of us would become
most like Him if and when we came to realize that death was no
longer in our equation for living. Eternal life would vanquish
death forever and eliminate it from our minds, from our hearts,
and from our daily lives.
Thus, by rising from His tomb, in a flash of brilliant light
whose Source was surely the Most High (the only place from whence
such immense energy could ever come), Christ became like Moses,
showing us the "way" awaiting each of us, who need only believe
and the transformation is underway. Under way, perhaps?
Personal transformation -- that is near the heart of the
Christian experience.
Now, you may ask yourselves, how shall we know that we are
Christians? Do we draw fish in the sand, or place fish decals on
our bumpers? Do we make the sign of the cross in church, or call
each other "brother" and "sister"? Would any of these "mark" us
as true Christians, in and of themselves?
The answer is no.
The "mark" of true Christians is their knowledge, nay, their
conviction that they do already enjoy eternal life, and they have
no need to fear death in any form whatsoever. And from this
conviction there follows an immense courage to follow Christ,
whose way He has already delineated for us.
As St. Paul has been quoted to say, Christ was in fact
smiling on the way to His horribly violent death. Christ knew
then that the events of the next few days would transform the
entire world, and each of us in it.
This is the meaning of "VIA" in Latin: He is the Way by way
of which we reach our destination, our destiny as humans. It is
a word with only three letters, a Trinity, just as in English.
In upper-case Roman letters, Christ is the "I AM" at the
gateway to infinity -- symbolized by the letter "V" -- and at the
apex of humanity -- the letter "V" inverted to form an upper-case
"A". He is VIA -- the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
This "Way" is Christ spanning an otherwise immense distance
between the Most High and humanity, closing the gap, as it were,
drawing humanity up to the Most High, who dwells in eternity.
You might imagine the "I" in "VIA" as an elevator shaft,
connecting the lowliest of mankind to the upper reaches of
infinity, or the "tunnel" seen in many near-death experiences.
In this sense, Christ the "Way" is actually an adventure --
the adventure of a lifetime that will last forever -- an eternal
lifetime, a lifetime in eternity.
Now, this is the core of the Christian experience.
I am a Christian in this sense, and no one could ever steal
the eternal life I already enjoy. It is mine forever.
This is my distinguishing "mark" -- a mark of true
distinction, surely -- a mark which we Christians all share.
It is the mark of peace, of joy, and of love.
Amen.
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About the Author:
Paul Andrew Mitchell, B.A., M.S., is a Counselor at Law,
qualified Federal Witness, Private Attorney General
and Webmaster of the Supreme Law Library at Internet URL:
http://www.supremelaw.org/library
He also studied to become a Catholic priest
for 5 1/2 years.
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Paul Andrew Mitchell