PATH TO SANITY Lessons From Ancient Holy Counselors on How to have a Sound Mind.

PATH TO SANITY

Lessons From Ancient Holy Counselors on 

How to have a Sound Mind.

  Path to Sanity is a book written by Dee Pennock, a blessed woman. The  subtitle is: Lessons From Ancient Holy Counselors on How to have a Sound Mind. It is paperback with 214 pages, being a valuable treasury of knowledge concerning the most important subject of mental and spiritual health and illness, based on the teaching of the Church Fathers and Saints. It is about sanity and insanity not as the world teaches, but as taught by the holy Fathers. There are many different theories concerning man but she, in her book, by faithful research, understanding and lucid presentation has opened the oyster showing us  the pearl of great value,

   What is man?  He is a creature, so important to God as the reason for all creation. There can be no greater plan than God’s eternal plan to form a man and then mankind in His own image and likeness. Adam, was not that man, as he was created in the image, and by his disobedience and sin he failed to ascend to the likeness of God. The Godman, our Lord Jesus Christ is the man, sinless and the perfect image and likeness of God. All me are called to struggle to become like Christ in this present life, that they may  reign in glory with Him for ever.  The struggle for holiness and perfection  cannot take place in the future life, for this life is the arena of the struggle but in the next life is the awarding of crowns.

  What is man? Man is body and soul which comes from clay ( Greek “houn” clay not dust). And the spirit breathed into him from God, which caused man to become a living soul. St.  Paul refers to man as being body, soul, and spirit, asking God to bless all three, which, he says, constitutes the whole man.   

Dee Pennock writes: 

     “Scripture teaches that we have a body, soul, and spirit (1Thes. 5:23), that we are composed of three parts; that is, body, soul, and spirit (Isaac of Syria) Our spirit makes us alive, makes us living creatures.  It is the breath of life that God put into us when He breathed into Adam the breath of life and Adam became a living soul (Gen. 2:7).  Saint Anthony writes: Life is union and junction of spirit, soul, and body. Death is not the destruction of these parts, but disruption of their union. God preserves it all even after this disruption.”  (P 18)

  ‘So we are three things, body, soul, and spirit.  Or we can say we are two things, with one of them having two parts.  We can say we are body and soul if we take the soul to mean our soul plus the spirit of God added, the soul being different from the life of which it partakes.  (Justin Martyr ). The soul itself is not life, but partakes in that life bestowed upon it by God, as the prophetic word declares [of Adam] he became a living soul, teaching us that by participation of life the soul becomes alive; so the soul and the life it possesses must be understood as two separate existences” (Irenaeus) P19)

GOD AND SCIENCE Without God nothing would exist

GOD AND SCIENCE

Without God nothing would exist

  As there is false science and the true science, so there are many false gods and one true God, Creator of heaven and earth.  True science will always agree that there is a God who created and formed everything. True scientific investigation always starts with the declaration of what is known about a subject, and  proceed to the unknown gradually, step by step. False science, however cannot answer any question correctly, especially, is there a God and Creator?

   Using the scientific method, the first thing that is known about man and the world at the outset, is declared by consciousness. I know that I am one metaphysically and mathematically, and that I  always keep my identity.  I also know that I live in the world around me and  through this world  I live and preserve my being. I know these things through consciousness.  What is not known by consciousness is the existence of God, for this knowledge requires one small step of reason.

 I observe the sun during the day when we work, then the lesser light of the moon, and the stars at nighttime, perfect for sleeping. I know that they are all perfectly distanced, supplying us with light, warmth, vitamins,  tides, and navigation aids. I observe the rain, snow, and winds, supplying us with water. I see the many forests and trees, supplying wood for building and for heating; I see the busy bees, industrious ants and worms, and hear the songbirds. Then I turn and in wonder, look at and inhale the sweet smelling flowers of brilliant colors, and 

LIVING UNDER TYRANNY A MISERABLE LIFE

LIVING UNDER TYRANNY 

 A MISERABLE LIFE

      A revolution takes place and the legitimate government under which the people were living contentedly is overthrown as a brutal tyrant seizes  power. How did it happen, and where were the soldiers to prevent this? It does not matter. No one is quite sure, but they were well-armed and succeeded in helping the tyrant to seize the reigns of power.  As time passes, the tyrant rule over them became unbearable, as he  heaped upon them greater injustices and increased imprisonments.  The populace begins to groan under the heavy  weight of his iron rule, but he kept increasing their taxes and  cutting services, wreaking havoc everywhere. As the tyrant becomes more and more overbearing, people groaned and grumbled under his heavy hand.  In the minds of most of them, the idea  grew stronger, we must rid ourselves of this tyrant or life will not be worth living.

   There is a tyrant much more fierce than the aforementioned, whom few people know or even care to know.