Virtual Eternity (the Serialized Novel) Episode 45 - The Den of Curcio Part Two
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This is Episode 50 of the serialized version of the novel, Virtual Eternity: An Epic 90s Retro Florida Techo-Pro-Life Love Story and Conversion Journey. These 52 episodes are presented here free for you every Friday. You can buy the paperback version [htt/] from Mike Church’s Crusade Channel Store or at Amazon.
Or you can start reading at the Table of Contents: here
Graces
“These experiences are branded into my mind now, Dante. We already were taught all these things, it seems, but it was a long-forgotten memory. Curcio wanted to confirm to everyone that they do not need to fear hell or fear separation from God. He even tempted me with that freedom from the fear of hell. Many people, experiencing all the worries and suffering in earthly life, think God never existed or has abandoned them. Xavier, the utopian, Ms. Mason, Paula, the cold despair within the truck, Curcio, and the light-being all attacked me with that notion.”
“You are not abandoned,” Dante said. “To the contrary. God has graced every living person, individually and with ineffable love, many sacramentals - which the living choose to accept or decline, on earth. Now I will explain the graces that modern man mostly has forgotten, with help from millennia of inspired wisdom.
(1) The Unity of Individuals as a Church
“Humans are tortured by many distractions, such as the fear of failing to please others enough, of failing to gain a false honor in the non-existent or fleeting predilections of others; it is the unending concern about failing to please others’ unspoken and hidden wishes. The sin of pride causes these fears.
“Or do I seek to please men? If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10) 1
“And the devil and its world entice you all on how to overcome these many fears, such as using the false skills of lording over others with elitist knowledge of mesmerizing heresies and fictions, so you all can pretend to avoid such sinful and distracting distresses. “
You do not need these sinful lies. Instead, know the unified body of individuals encompassing Christ. Understand His revelations against division and discord among you, concurrent with its saints and brilliant souls over centuries.
“That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee. (John 17:21) 1
“This is the Body of Christ, built and sustained through God’s grace, and of which you individually are a member. The Body of Christ is a framework for agreement on Truth, an active means to maintain millennia of wisdom, which, being divinely inspired, is impervious to bias and error. This knowledge is universal, simple, for all, not an elite.
“God is one and Christ one and His Church one and the faith one and the people one joined together by the tie of concord into a solid unity of body. (St. Cyprian) 30
“Thus, the Holy Trinity desires you to love others in this Body, the Church, as if you were confronting your own body: to make peace with others and forgive them, to speak well of others, to meet others’ known and basic needs, and to encourage others to have unified faith and keep God’s commandments.
“That is why the peacemakers are blessed, and they will be called children of God.”
As we forgive those who trespass against us: The Holy Trinity forms created beings into one unity of individuals that discern and communicate Its revelation and sacraments directly; this is only possible when these individuals enact peace with, and forgive, one another.
(2) The Saints’ Prayers
“Humans are tormented by many other distractions, such as the fear of missing or failing at the details of survival: of ambition, achievement, comforts, tasks, and decisions yet to be made; of constant concern about lacking or being disoriented or inconvenienced. The sins of greed and pride cause these fears.
“And which of you, by taking thought, can add to his stature one cubit? (Luke 12:25) 1
“And the devil and its world entice you all on how to overcome these many fears, such as using the false ability to mislead yourself into hallucinations about body control and mind focus and harmony with the physical world, so you all can pretend to avoid such sinful and distracting worries.
“You do not need these sinful lies. Instead, have faith and pray that God’s holy will ensues within and around you, and know with certainty that saints are praying for you, all achieved through God’s grace.
“I want to spend my heaven in doing good on earth. (St. Therese of Lisieux) 31
“Thus, the Holy Trinity desires you to know that those in heaven ask God to intercede for you, and you personally, not only for the vast swath of humanity. God seeks what is best for you, individually and alone, but not necessarily what you feel is best for you, such that if what you want does not transpire, you do well to suffer. The Holy Trinity listens to the prayers that the saints in heaven provide for you. They know God’s will more closely.
“And when he had opened the book, the four living creatures, and the four and twenty ancients fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. (Revelation 5:8) 1
“The Holy Trinity grants their requests in accordance with Its design, not necessarily the earthly individual’s wants, despite the suffering it may cause you.
“That is why those who mourn are blessed, and they will receive comfort.”
Thy will be done: The Holy Trinity enables the created world to proceed according to Its design and will, but part of that will and design are the requests of eternal souls closer to It, expressed in prayer.
(3) The Indwelling of the Holy Trinity
“Humans are plagued by many further distractions, such as the fear of dishonor, of constant worry about being humiliated, disregarded, losing stature to others, or not mattering. These fears are caused by the sins of pride and envy.
“So shall the last be first, and the first last. (Matthew 20:16) 1
“And the devil and its world tempt you all on how to overcome these many fears, such as using things like the false ability to wield power over others, using deceit and charisma and influence, so you all can pretend to avoid such sinful and distracting worries.
“You do not need these sinful lies. Instead, embrace humility achieved through God’s grace, a humility that individual human faculties require in order to know the Holy Trinity abiding within you. It abides within you personally, not merely abiding over the vast set of humanity in general.
“I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. (John 14:20) 1
“Thus, the Holy Trinity desires you to establish, and know, and overcome your own inner obstacles to reach, Its kingdom, which is actually and truly present within you, personally.
“O my God, Trinity whom I adore, help me forget myself entirely so to establish myself in you, unmovable and peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. (St. Elizabeth of the Trinity) 32
“Know and recollect that Kingdom, using silence and contemplation of God’s loving revelations, mysteries, and graces - such as the Church, the saints’ intercessions, the divine law and natural law, the Blessed Sacrament, the Four Last Things, and Christ’s Passion and Redemption.
“That is why the poor in spirit are blessed, and theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Thy kingdom come: The Holy Trinity is joined within Its created beings, directly and individually.
(4) The Divine Law and the Natural Law
“Humans are besieged by many more distractions, such as the fear of losing the pleasures of the flesh and the world. This distraction concerns unrealistic and fake needs for the sexual, for food, and for enraging legal rights. These fears are caused by the sins of lust, sloth, gluttony, anger, and pride.
“They who have heard, and going their way, are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and yield no fruit. (Luke 8:14) 1
“And the devil and its world seduce you all on how to overcome these many fears, such as using the mistaken notion that you should satisfy yourself with comforts, pleasures, and self independent privileges and rights, so you all can pretend such sinful and distracting ambitions are within reach.
“You do not need these sinful lies. Instead, follow the divine law and natural law that God wrote on your hearts, avoiding the deceptive, counterfeit needs of the world, by God’s grace.
“After those days, saith the Lord: I will give my law in their bowels, and I will write it in their heart: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:33) 1
“Thus, the Holy Trinity desires you to know that the divine law and natural law, which began centuries ago in the Ten Commandments and are fulfilled by the Son of God, Christ Jesus, exist for you, to help you focus on what is holy.
“If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him. (John 14:23) 1
“The Holy Trinity draws you away from the distractions of the flesh, food, comfort, the demands about rights, and other pleasures. The soul is eternal, concerned with knowing and choosing God’s eternal design for humans.
“That is why those who are clean of heart are blessed, and shall see God.”
Hallowed be Thy name: The Holy Trinity provides the divine law and natural law, that which demands obedience to Its omnipotence, and human thought and behavior that is in accord with God’s will and the natural perfect essence of humans, so that individuals can use their soul to converge on holiness.
(5) The Eucharist
“Humans suffer many more distractions, such as the fear of death, the desires to live forever and to memorialize their experiences in this world, and the despair and longing that they believe death will cause. The sins of despair and pride cause these fears.
“And might deliver them, who through the fear of death were all their lifetime subject to servitude. (Hebrews 2:15) 1
“And the devil and its world befuddle you all on how to overcome these many fears, such as using the faulty notion that you can ignore, avoid, escape from, delay, or overcome death, decay of your body and mind, and the loss of those you love. Even worse, they believe in, and feel the constant emotions of, fear, hopelessness, and angst.
“You do not need such sinful lies. Instead, accept and understand the meaning of the Holy Eucharist, by the grace of God, as the perfect analogy and reality of the eternal happiness to come, infinitely more blissful than the epiphanies and loves you attain on earth, although those gifts do serve to portray, in tiny ways, that joy.
“If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give, is my flesh, for the life of the world. (John 6:52) 1
“As the Holy Trinity transubstantiates into your changing world, your soul similarly transubstantiates into heaven, or hell.
“The chalice of benediction, which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? And the bread, which we break, is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord? (1 Corinthians 10:16) 1
“Thus, the Holy Trinity desires you to know that Christ is the Eucharist, under the illusive appearance of bread and wine. And the Son cannot be separated from the Holy Trinity, so therefore the Holy Trinity is there too. The entire changing things, the bread and wine, are changed into the entire actuality of the Holy Trinity. And, wherever the Holy Trinity is, heaven and all the saints are also. So, where the apparent bread and wine are, heaven is, and thus all Justice and Love, the Good and Truth.
“As you have learned, the Father created the world, Goodness and Truth, from nothing. Thus, the Holy Trinity, the First Mover/Changer/ Cause, can change objects to have a different essence, even the essence of the Holy Trinity Itself, such that Its apparent changing material is illusory. This Eucharist, the Holy Trinity, that you alone receive to eat and drink, is yours alone, such that even if you were the only person living in that moment, you would be the only one to eat and drink It. It transubstantiated for you alone.
“Thus, Christ’s love, the love of the Holy Trinity, presents itself in life in a form humans can receive, individually, by the simple act of eating. The Holy Eucharist is present relentlessly, in a continuity, on earth, to allow you to sense it, to merge with it, and to enable you to know Him, and to bring the soul to eternal life.
“That is why those who hunger for righteousness are blessed, and will have their fill.”
Give us this day our daily bread: The Holy Trinity can entirely replace actuals, and out of love does so, in a gift such that individuals may simultaneously honor God, abide with God, and be granted God’s mercy.
(6) The Four Last Things
“Humans are also diverted and distracted by the lack of fear of the unending tortures of the afterlife, typically leading them to choose to reject the Holy Trinity, a choice that puts them in the devil’s hands at death. The sins of presumption and pride cause this lack of fear.
“How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it! (Matthew 7:14) 1
“And the devil and its world confuse you all on how to bury this fear, using the grave error that you are automatically saved, universally or nearly universally, one and all, because of Christ’s pain and death. And some cannot believe that the Holy Trinity can abandon those who choose to abandon It, as if the Holy Trinity struggles under the same law as Its creatures, as if Its wisdom and Its prophets would deceive you.
“You do not need such sinful lies. Instead, know and remember the likelihood of eternal separation from God. At death, you are judged.
“Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. (John 20:23) 1
“Those who chose heaven, in life, are granted it. But those who chose hell, are granted that.
“Destruction is thy own, O Israel: thy help is only in me. (Hosea 13:9) 1
“In life, most souls choose that wide path, thinking grace is cheap; that path veers away from God and eternal joy at almost every step, away from God’s unimaginable mercy. Then death instantaneously arrives, and they have already chosen to abandon God, to ignore the divine law and natural law, and to sin, blinded by pride and the inability to forgive others as they demand of God. And despite all these warnings, they still believe God’s mercy is universal and inevitable.
“That is why only those who are merciful are blessed, and will be shown mercy.”
Forgive us our sins: The Holy Trinity created human souls to eternally persist after their integrated, changing bodies perish, resulting in a particular judgment as either (1) separated from the Holy Trinity, or (2) joined with the Holy Trinity by Its grace of mercy and forgiveness for our faults.
(7) Redemption
“Humans are finally diverted and distracted by the vainglory that they are the primary instruments in their salvation. The sin of pride causes this.
“So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. (Romans 9:16) 1
“And the devil and its world sidetrack and entertain you all, such that you neglect why the Holy Trinity became man: the sins of humans were and are so vast that only a perfect, unimaginable sacrifice, of the Holy Trinity Itself, could counter them, in a way humans cannot comprehend. The worst human sinner needs the most sacrifice, but is the one least able to acquiesce. So, the perfect offering, with the inconceivable surrender of will and the most unthinkable suffering because of creatures’ almost infinite loss of love for their Creator, was and is needed.
“Because his soul hath laboured, he shall see and be filled: by his knowledge shall this my just servant justify many, and he shall bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53:11) 1
“Know that, by the grace of God, your redemption is specific to you, and that this entirely personal and individual salvation is enabled by Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection.
“For this is my blood of the New Testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins. (Matthew 26:28) 1
“The Eucharist accurately recreates and memorializes Christ’s murder on the Cross, sacramentally and truly. That is why those who participate pray their gratitude, and the angels and saints sing with joy.
“To repeat, the pain, redemption, and mercy, which is relentlessly venerated and celebrated in the Holy Mass, is for your one soul, and others separately, and determined by the grace given to you.
“You must choose this necessary redemption, by your love and desire for the Holy Trinity and by your unvarying and devoted recollection of the grace It provided.
“That is why only those who are meek will possess the land.”
Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil: The Holy Trinity redeems humans from their powerless, feeble condition upon the death of their bodies, when the human will that the Holy Trinity grants them ends; then, because of the sacrifice of the Son of God, the Holy Trinity bestows the infinite grace of the Beatific Vision.
References:
1. The Holy Bible, Douay-Rheims Version, 2009, Saint Benedict Press [Original published 1582-1609]
30. St. Cyprian of Carthage, On the Unity of the Church, (Roy J, Trans.), 1956, p. 118, [Online] Available from: https://ia800205.us.archive.org/30/items/TheUnityOfTheChurchByStCyprianOfCarthage/Cyprian The Unity Of The Church.pdf, Catholic University of America Press [Original 250 A.D.]
31. Henri Gheon, The Secret of the Little Flower, 1977, Sheed & Ward Ltd [Original 1934]
32. St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, Drink of the Stream: Prayers of the Carmelites, (Penny Hickey, Ed.), 2002, p. 299, Ignatius Press [Original 1904]
Next week: Episode 51 – Heaven
Copyright © 2022 Christopher Rogers.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any actual events or localities or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Christopher Rogers is the author of the novel Virtual Eternity: An Epic 90s-Retro Florida Techno Pro-life Love Story and Conversion Journey, which dramatizes a story about the Catholic conversion of two twenty-somethings in the 90s, interleaving a story about love, hookups, corporate and social culture in the 90s, technical intrigue, and a journey to the Holy Trinity. The novel is available here, at the Catholic Corner, which is on Mike Church's Crusade Channel website or any other major online bookseller. “Virtual Eternity is a contemporary fiction written by Christopher Rogers that I read and fell in love with. Its rare to find a book that treats of our modern hook-up culture and then honors its antithesis: Sacramental marriage. Rogers does this while weaving his characters through a Big-Tech thriller. Christian readers will appreciate this work as entertainment, done right.” – Mike Church Virtual Eternity is also available in serialized form for free; start reading here.
Christopher is married and has helped raise a family of three children, while also working as a human factors engineer and project manager in the fields of healthcare, intelligence, military, aerospace, and manufacturing. He has Master’s degrees in Humanities (Houston-Clear Lake) and Industrial Engineering (Auburn). Christopher belongs to the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order. He is also the author of the novel Dumb College: A Story about the Decline of Western Civilization.
