_______________________________
We are caught up by obligations and guilt about having left undone those things we ought to have done, and we also have to go to midnight mass to-night, over in McAllen. Years ago it was a matter of great pomp and circumstance, all nature of music, processions, recessions, traditions, and so forth. We always had to squeeze 500 people into a sanctuary that was built to hold 250, and the people enjoyed it immensely, it seems.
I served as an acolyte for 10 years, the last three as an "elder acolyte", so therefore the last three of those Midnight Masses…having worked my way up from candle tender and flag bearer, to crucifer and priest's server. It was a fun show…even the non-high celebration services. But Midnight Mass was something special.
________________________________
We come to the point of exasperation about the commentators commentating with such profound banality about Joseph and Mary and her impending delivery. It is especially juicy coming from the Roman Catholic clerical class, especially including the Bishop of the Diocese of Brownsville. It is all but certain that every Roman Catholic Church in the Nation is making the same sad pitch and slinging guilt-trips out with haughty abandon to the commoners.
The notion that somehow there is any equivalency between Joseph and Mary going to Bethlehem (House of Bread) to be registered and to pay their taxes to the Romans and the clamouring masses coming up from Central America is especially repugnant. To begin, the oft-repeated observation that Joseph and Mary were poor people does not stack up with sociological probabilities at the time.
It is known that Joseph of Arimathea was the namesake of Mary's husband and was quite possibly (or probably) his uncle. There is lore that Jesus accompanied his Earthly father to the British Isles, along with Joseph of Arimathea who was deep into the tin mining and smelting industry that was centre'd in that area. We should remember that Joseph of Arimathea was wealthy enough, certainly, to provide a rich man's grave to Jesus of Nazareth when that event occurred and so required. There are some who think he might have been among the 10 richest men in the world at that time.
That the couple had to stay in a stable for their first nights in Bethlehem, and deliver their baby there, had more to do with the crowds that would have been there, not so much the size or weight of Joseph's purse. Please remember that both Joseph and Mary were members of the House of David, and the Jews were directed by Roman authority to return to the City that pertained to the ancient assignment of the twelve tribes. Bethlehem, of course, to this day is known as "The City of David".
There were probably two or three score thousands of people coming into Bethlehem, pretty much at the same time, and accommodations would have had to have been in scarce supply. The probability is that the couple managed to obtain some space in a stable that was partially open and also somewhat cave-like, providing them, thankfully, at least a roof over their heads. These erosive "carve outs" in the low hills had been done by leaching and wind erosion and are fairly common in the area, and were frequently used for stabling.
The image of the Three Wise Men from the Orient is not well served when they are presented as attendees in the stable of the Nativity. As an aside, the image of them trodding through the deserts alone on camels is a fond notion, perhaps, but it is very, very far from likely. Such personalities would have had massive train, with security, foods and spices, a money cache, and probably 300 or so servants and technical people. After all, it must be considered that they gained an audience with Herod with little trouble. Even the Roman authority, apparently, had a "hands off" demeanour towards them.
According to Matthew 2:11, 12 - it is stated…"And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
"And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way."
It should be noted that the word "house" indicates that Jesus was "long gone" from the stable by the time the Wise Men came and went from His presence.
It should be noted that the word "house" indicates that Jesus was "long gone" from the stable by the time the Wise Men came and went from His presence.
Furthermore, another dream interceded in the plans of men as the story unfolds in Matthew 2:13 - 15 - "And when they were departed, behold, the Angel of the Lord appeareth unto Joseph in a dream, saying "Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
"When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying Out of Egypt I have called my son."
These things indicate that Joseph and Mary and Jesus were well enough off, certainly, to find a decent abode to begin a nurturing style of life for the new addition. Did Joseph of Arimathea put in a good word for his nephew? Did he have some spare rental properties around for a rest-and-recovery period for the new mother? Did he finance the flight to Egypt?
And, revisiting the beginning of all this trouble, we need to rememember that Luke 2:1-4 - it is clearly stated in the King James Unabridged, "…And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was Governor of Syria). and all went to be taxed, every one into his own own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the City of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because he was of the house and lineage of David:"
_____________________________
These scriptures from the King James, Unabridged make beautiful, Shakespearean-like
reading, and at times the words also tend to step on toes of analysts and students of things like time-lines, etc. True enough, King Herod the Great died four years before Jesus of Nazareth was born…according to the experts and scientific minds. But for all I know, Jesus of Nazareth might have been born five years before He, Himself was born, and perhaps the Historian Josephus got it all wrong…??
Perhaps a bunch of people got it all wrong, or maybe just partially wrong…but one thing is for dead certain. There is absolutely nothing of any similarity between the onslaught of illegal aliens pouring into the Republic of Texas and the United States and the perils faced by Joseph and Mary, their Baby and thousands of others during those times at and around the Nativity.
To begin with, Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to pay taxes and register their names in the Roman census. The people pouring up from Central America and elsewhere are being driven and herded by political operatives to invade an area of sovereignty with the expressed intent to take taxes in the form of public assistance in massive amounts.
The people who went, "each unto his own city" were in almost all cases compliant subjects of the Roman government, whether they liked it or not. They had to hang around for a good while, away from their crops, trades, animals, etc. to take care of all that "government stuff" and then return to their abodes and pick up where they had left off, and try to make things run again.
In dealing with the authorities, please be certain that the Jews, save for a very, very few were scorned by the Romans and considered to be only slightly better than cattle. Treatment of the Jews and other similar people in the area was capricious and brutal. and insurrection of any kind was met almost always with horrid imprisonments or crucifixion or worse.
It was slight solace, perhaps, to realise that the Romans were possibly a bit less brutal than the satrap King of the Jews, Herod the Great. The Romans gave considerable latitude to the leaders of the Jewish Sanhedrin (governing body) and the recognised leaders like the King, in terms of ruling over issues that pertained primarily to Jews of the various sects…such as the Essenes, "Baptists", Sicarii, Sadducees / Karaites, and Zealots for instance.
Reading the works of Flavius Josephus and others who wrote during and just after the Crucifixion underscore these points quite clearly. So the notion that there is some kind of equivalency between the Holy Family and the "caravans" is silly at best and outlandish to the point of purposeful mendacity. It is demonstrable that the "caravan" matter was a faux movement designed to shame the American people and those desirous of having a strong international boundary, north and south.
 |
| Flavius Josephus 37 a.d. - 100 a.d. He was one of those rare birds who was both a Jew and a Roman. He was also a brilliant philosopher and historian as well as a military leader of the grade of general. He wrote the definitive history of the Holy Land, early on, having been born shortly after the Death of Jesus. His Jewish name was Joseph ben Matityhu, and he was essentially of the Sadducee Jewish class, an aristocrat…very accomplished. |
Perhaps a bunch of people got it all wrong, or maybe just partially wrong…but one thing is for dead certain. There is absolutely nothing of any similarity between the onslaught of illegal aliens pouring into the Republic of Texas and the United States and the perils faced by Joseph and Mary, their Baby and thousands of others during those times at and around the Nativity.
To begin with, Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to pay taxes and register their names in the Roman census. The people pouring up from Central America and elsewhere are being driven and herded by political operatives to invade an area of sovereignty with the expressed intent to take taxes in the form of public assistance in massive amounts.
The people who went, "each unto his own city" were in almost all cases compliant subjects of the Roman government, whether they liked it or not. They had to hang around for a good while, away from their crops, trades, animals, etc. to take care of all that "government stuff" and then return to their abodes and pick up where they had left off, and try to make things run again.
In dealing with the authorities, please be certain that the Jews, save for a very, very few were scorned by the Romans and considered to be only slightly better than cattle. Treatment of the Jews and other similar people in the area was capricious and brutal. and insurrection of any kind was met almost always with horrid imprisonments or crucifixion or worse.
It was slight solace, perhaps, to realise that the Romans were possibly a bit less brutal than the satrap King of the Jews, Herod the Great. The Romans gave considerable latitude to the leaders of the Jewish Sanhedrin (governing body) and the recognised leaders like the King, in terms of ruling over issues that pertained primarily to Jews of the various sects…such as the Essenes, "Baptists", Sicarii, Sadducees / Karaites, and Zealots for instance.
Reading the works of Flavius Josephus and others who wrote during and just after the Crucifixion underscore these points quite clearly. So the notion that there is some kind of equivalency between the Holy Family and the "caravans" is silly at best and outlandish to the point of purposeful mendacity. It is demonstrable that the "caravan" matter was a faux movement designed to shame the American people and those desirous of having a strong international boundary, north and south.
It is somewhat rewarding to note that our diagnosis has been dead on during this entire episodeof guilt-gifting by the marxists and "human rights" organisations. It has become apparent, for instance, that the "caravan"people have been essentially abandoned by the original "organisers". Those "leaders" of the movement who pointed the way north for the "oppressed", and shepherded"just nice young mothers pushing strollers with babies" into danger did not give a bucket of warm spit for or about the "migrants". Their objective was, is, and shall forever be the destruction of America and Texas by any and every means possible.
Returning to the Holy Family, when the time was accomplished that the angel advised the return to Nazareth, the Family went back…they did not uselessly languish on the dole in Egypt and implement a system of living off of public assistance while hating their hosts. They did not strive to implement a system of chain migration, and I sincerely doubt that they demanded printed matter be provided in Hebrew.
Imagine please, that we are looking at Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba involved in free-fall economic disaster, complete with blatant strong-arm oppression of their people. Daniel Ortega has just recently ordered the off-again, on-again harassment game against the last remaining independent television station in Nicaragua, along with the on-again, off-again jailing of the "President's enemies".
Brazil is in the position of pouring regular Army units into the frontier area with Venezuela because the people fleeing Venezuela are causing mayhem in Brazil now. Venezuelans have also befouled the situation in Colombia, adjacent to the West of Venezuela, having now inundated with impoverished and destitute people fleeing the Wonderland created by Chavez and Maduro.
 |
| Miguel Diaz Canel Dictator - President of Cuba |
New crackdowns by Miguel Diaz Canel, the first non-Castro surnamed President of Cuba in fifty-five years has recently reinstated strict social and "revolutionary" standards, maintaining the dictatorial posture of the central Cuban government. The arts and entertainment sector has been particularly sanctioned as of late, and certain of the Castro period's minuscule "reforms" have been foregone, returning things to the old Castro-ite standards.
We are playing a game with cads and vermin. When the Obsolete American Press can show a picture of a detained child, in chains, locked in a kennel box in a situation dating back to 2014, and somehow blame those of us who vote Republican for said event…and then pat themselves on the back for that great stroke of "standing up for the oppressed", we must recognise that we are dealing with people who consider mendacity to be a reasonable weapon when truth is inconvenient.
It is the same with all of them, Rigoberta Menchu' tim, the nice, Mayan Indian woman who has worked so hard for the poor and for women's issues….? And it turns out that her "story" about her village being shot up by "government" soldiers, and it turned out to be all but a total fabrication…it was perhaps the inspiration that Pocahontas Warren needed to remember that she, too had suffered from being a Indian…and just think about that most profound statement by any member of the Obama Choir of Sycophants, like good ole' Dr. Gruber, the brilliant economist. when Jonathan Gruber tried to explain and justify the absurd Obamacare programme; ...he suggested that many lawmakers and voters didn't know what was in the law or how its financing worked, and that this helped it win approval.
"Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage,” Gruber said. "And basically, call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical for the thing to pass."
"Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage,” Gruber said. "And basically, call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical for the thing to pass."
This, in fact, is how the left sees us. They pray for the day when the United States looks like Haiti and when the entirety of the nation's people is wearing grey Mao outfits and looking like North Korean peasants…93 pounds, eating grass, waiting to die. The leftist leaders are certain, like Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Schumer, that they will be safe behind their walls and security-coded entry gates with private, armed security personnel totally available…how does one say it? Oh, right!! "24 / 7".
We leave this topic about comparatives and honesty. Almost every statement made during this "caravana" thing has been false or purposefully misleading if it proceeded from the pen, mouth, or computer of the Obsolete Media workers and personalities. The correct information was available and could have been used to better effect, but it was not, save for some reporting being done by newsletters, radio, and a few blogs. FOXNews had some minimal positive impact, but never really understood what was going on "down there".
____________________________
We are going to chuck it in for the night. Children are coming down to-morrow, so I guess it will be necessary to take a bath. Please understand that we are not going to walk away from this "migrant" , "immigrant", and caravan thing. The phenomena is nothing like what would be a correct definition of any of those three words or concept. It is truly an assault on the Republic, and we have correctly identified several of the major players involved in this deceptive game.
More later,
EL GRINGO VIEJO
___________________________
