Catholics and the Era of Peace

 Known to some Catholics of today, is the term, the “Era of Peace.” To get a vague understanding of this term, you would have to delve into Eschatology (study of the four last things), private revelations, and prophecy. Many Catholics who have delved into this subject, like to focus on the events leading to that time, such as the events stated in the book of revelations such as Armageddon, the Anti-Christ, end of the world events. Of course, people think this is the end of the world, but that is one aspect of this truth. It is the end of this world, one that belongs to the forces of darkness and of Satan.

We all have heard about these doomsday prophecies and events, but what most of us haven’t heard, is the world that God is establishing afterwards. No, it is not the end of time, but the end of an era. For centuries, men have waged war, hated each other, and have done horrible things. But that time is coming to a close, soon. In whatever way for it to be achieved, whether it is the Great Tribulation, the Warning, Miracle, regardless of the methods described in private revelations, this era will end eventually. The way things are done here in this world will end. And the world that will follow will be way better, as it was supposed to be. Of course you’re asking; “Why are we here in this situation anyway?” Well, this is a Catholic blog, so I will give you a simple Christian answer. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and were therefore exiled from paradise. We inherited their state because we sprang from them.

But exile was not meant to last forever. And God will return to man what he lost in the beginning, sanctity. For a Catholic, one must only look at Catholic mystic and victim soul, Luisa Piccarretta. Jesus tells her that God has decreed this himself and that the saints of that era will be greater than any of the saints of previous times, including this one, because their knowledge will be greater, and they will possess what Adam was given in the beginning.

Therefore, their capacity will be greater, infinitely greater, as much as they are capable of. Jesus tells Luisa that he already has seen them, since during his Passion, all generations were made present before him, including the generation of that era, and Era of True Peace and love for God and our neighbor, possessing the Divine Will. Everything is present before the Divinity. Luisa’s mission is the Divine Will. What is the Divine Will? It is the gift that Adam and Eve possessed before they fell. They possessed two wills and so since they possessed the Will of their Creator, they contained a divine strength within themselves. They were capable of dominating themselves and their passions had no life. When they sinned, if they had preserved that one gift, their passions would still have no life kept under the weight of the divine gift. They were given lordship over all of creation, power, beauty, wisdom, inherent Divine knowledge.

 But they abandoned it and their, and also our exile is so that we realize what it means to do without God’s will. The saints in heaven possess the Divine Will. For humanity to possess it on earth would be to have heaven on earth. That is the future of humanity, not this world that we live in. The great saint Padre Pio gave the prophecy that one day, the whole world would know Luisa. So let me get off topic here for a moment.   

Why are we as Catholics, who do know about prophecy and private revelations, so concerned about topics such as the Great Tribulation, or the Anti-Christ, or even the major catastrophes that God might have to allow or send to the world? Let me give you something else to hope for, something worth fighting for, which is that world, a world where God’s Will is not only done, but possessed as sons and daughters of God. For you atheists that might be reading this, you can’t accuse me of being a conformist, since to be a religious conformist in these days is fatal for all religious and souls to varying degrees, but fatal spiritually none the less. No, one cannot be a conformist.

 One must be a non-conformist, a dreamer, a warrior, a musician, a soul that sings. When I was younger, my dream was to change the world for the better, like the anime I used to watch, and remember. That was our dream, mine and my group of friends. So we wanted to build giant robots and put all world military control under our power to achieve that, but to us, it would have solved a lot of the violence in the world. At least then, we called ourselves “Gundam fighters.” Maybe hearing that now, an adult might take that as fantasy, but we were serious about our dream. We planned on entering the military and science establishments and seeing what technology was available. And I remember praying to God to help me achieve that dream.

I realized a few days ago, I’m still a Gundam warrior. Today, more than ever, and maybe even to my last breath. I have the hope of fighting for that better world, because God also wants to change the world. Maybe because it’s time, maybe the prayers are enough, maybe we’ve learned what it means to be subject to ourselves and to our human wills, or maybe it wouldn’t be so much of problem of teaching us how to say “I love you” the right way for once. To say “I love you” in the Divine Will would mean to say it in eternity. It would exist everywhere, as God exists everywhere, past, present, and future, and in every part of nature and existence, and it would echo in Heaven as well as everywhere that a divine act would reach, infinity.

So let me ask you again, “Isn’t that the greatest thing worth fighting for?” “Isn’t it the greatest thing worth giving every last one of your breaths on this earth for?” And how many Catholics know about it, the truth is, not enough. So why live in fear? Why live in anticipation of a crumbling world. No. Live as a soul that sings, with a hope for a better tomorrow.

 Live knowing that hope exists and that we are children of that world, and I’m not talking about heaven. We are children of the Era of Peace, of the Divine Will as possessed by our brothers and sisters in heaven. We are sons and daughters of that Era, and that is what we are fighting for every single day. A Gundam fighter was one who did everything in his capacity to fulfill his mission, even if it cost him his life. It didn’t matter what got in his way, he wouldn’t let anything or anyone stop him. Since then, I’ve added a plethora of other heroes to my inspirations, but they all have their principles, and reasons for fighting. Maybe mine is a combination of all of theirs, but with more reason, because I’m fighting for a better world as well, this one.

I don’t want to fight for just myself, as I don’t want to suffer for myself. I want to fight for my friends, my family, and those who will come after me; and even my children if God so wills it. I want to give them all something better, something to hope for, live for, and protect, to love, and die for. That world is for them. And it is as much for us of today who know about it as it is for that later generation. So let it be according to God’s Will. Never be afraid, never back down, and never stop singing. Fiat. God bless.   

 

   

Canned Food

             If I ask any of my friends here what they think of a delicious can of Spam or corned beef, they would just be abhorred by the idea. In U.S. culture, canned food is usually thought of as gross or disgusting. I beg to differ. In some places of the world, a nice can of sardines, corned beef, or spam and its other Asian regional name, “luncheon meat”, is a delicious meal if served with rice and prepared right. First of all, if you grew up in a culture used to eating canned goods, your whole perception of its consumption is quite different. In gradeschool, parents usually pack their children's lunches with spam and rice or canned corned beef. That's why we like it.

          

             Secondly, I'm not trying to argue whether it's healthy or not, because more than likely, it does have quite a lot of preservatives and sodium. But, if you know how to prepare it right, it's still good eats. First of all, name brand is important. There are many different types of canned goods depending on the company that produces them. Therefore, there are also different brands and tastes for different types of canned goods. For example, my favorite brand of canned corned beef is Palm, made and imported from Australia. It’s not that easy to find in most groceries here in the U.S. but stores that sell imported good usually has it and it come in many different flavors such as barbeque or garlic.  

            If you buy other brands such as Hereford or a South American brand, the texture and taste of the product is quite similar. You can eat it right out of the can and that’s enjoyable. Just cut up some raw onions and lay them on top and serve with hot white rice and vinegar on the side. But of course, there are many ways of preparing canned corned beef. If you prepare it in a skillet, then fry a couple of cloves of garlic and throw that canned goodness in there for a few minutes. It’s best served with garlic fried rice.  While canned corned beef can be eaten straight out of the can or fried, Spam or luncheon meat is always usually served fried.

            Actually, if you cut up Spam thinly and fry it until it gets dark, brown, and crispy, it tastes almost like bacon. It’s commonly served as a breakfast menu item in many restaurants in Asia and probably a lot more in Hawaii. Filipinos aren’t picky eaters, and that’s how you learn become creative over the years. And yes, I have eaten and enjoyed fresh hot corned beef which you can buy per pound at the local deli. By the way, you need saltpeter to cook a fresh corned beef boil. So yes, that one ingredient in gunpowder is what gives corned beef, fresh or canned, its’ nice pink color, or else it would look like regular beef. But the canned variety is still enjoyable and while many people think of the ideas as gross and disgusting in some places, it is a feast in other locales. So my suggesting is, try it out for yourself.