And there will be free-for-all welfare! Those who resist this, or who believe in some Bethlehem fairy tale should be struck by Jardis of Narnia.
Communism failed folks, and some of its high priests have turned into hedge fund managers, sub prime stars, and AAA+ consecrated Ivy Leaguers that an irreligious Dow Jones just fails to apotheosize, just as the plebeians failed to appreciate Marxism earlier. There has to be greater order, greater enforcement, and greater scrutiny. Nothing less than a New World Order.
The Bible says God saw through such thoughts; that man will never stop unleashing violence before introducing order to beleaguered souls.
Thus, he sent not a conquering King to wipe out a corrupt order and establish "peace" but someone from a long line of shepherds. His ways are not our ways.
The biblical Joseph, who eventually saved Egypt, was a shepherd. David, the greatest king ever, was another shepherd of Jesus' bloodline. The patriarch Abraham, who started it all, was a shepherd.
In Paulo Coelho's magnum opus The Alchemist, the mysterious Melchizedek and Arab sages appear to remind the protagonist, a shepherd boy, that his treasure hunt was a quest worthy of shepherds. The Divine favors shepherds and one from among them even became the King of Kings, so he was told.
The Way of the Shepherd
Shepherds lead their flock to green pastures and still waters, though a narrow and winding path, whenever necessary. The path less-trodden is a metaphor for a way of life.
Think of the denouement in the Sound of Music, of children clambering up an Alpine redoubt, and it is comforting to hope that in fiery trials, there may appear a shepherd to lead the stricken to safety.
Furthermore, the permanence of the pastoral setting is the antithesis of the human Ziggurat. The latter crumbles eventually, needing bailouts in their trillions for a "reconstruction project." It is all glitzy and expensive, needing blood for cement, bones for bricks, sweat for mortars, and tears for failing.
I would rather think of a manger, of a real menagerie with horses, mules, donkeys and -- a long time back -- the baby Jesus himself. At least for now. His first honored visitors were coincidentally...shepherds.
And what about Dec 25?
The year of Jesus birth has been rightly contested and there is no way he could have been born on Dec 25. The activity of the shepherds, who were informed of his birth, suggest an earlier month, preferably September. Nine months prior would have been December when the word became flesh (conceived), as the Bible puts it.
This then is the shocker: Dec 25 may have been the date of Jesus' conception. There is a growing body of research which indicate this, after traditions are detached from their dubious dogma. For a quick synoptic account, follow the shepherd's trail at Michaemas and see where that leads...
Merry Christmas everyone!
Copyright 2008@Mathew Maavak
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