Luman Fidei encyclical letter

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During Lent I will strive to “flesh out” and finish my naïve description of what I think Heaven will be.

I will rely on the symbols presented by St. John in his vision of the City of Heaven as written in the Book of Revelation.

For decades those structures have reminded me of the anatomy of the base of the human skull and the brain.

I will try to develop the theme of the Throne of God and the Lamb: In the New Jerusalem, in the human skull/brain, and on the Papal Altar of St. Peter’s Basilica.

There are elements in each of those three categories that flow in unison: the River of Life, the first miracle at Cana, the structure of the throne, and the Body and the Blood.
View attachment 19456

Salvador Dali’s most famous painting
 
During Lent I will strive to “flesh out” and finish my naïve description of what I think Heaven will be.

I will rely on the symbols presented by St. John in his vision of the City of Heaven as written in the Book of Revelation.

For decades those structures have reminded me of the anatomy of the base of the human skull and the brain.

I will try to develop the theme of the Throne of God and the Lamb: In the New Jerusalem, in the human skull/brain, and on the Papal Altar of St. Peter’s Basilica.

There are elements in each of those three categories that flow in unison: the River of Life, the first miracle at Cana, the structure of the throne, and the Body and the Blood.
Before trying to describe symbols that remind me of anatomical structures, I wanted to post part of a poem written by my favorite poet, T. S. Eliot. Even though he wrote it 80 years ago, it is fitting now for the week of Ash Wednesday.
Opening Stanza from Choruses from “The Rock”

The Eagle soars in the summit of Heaven,
The Hunter with his dogs pursues his circuit.
O perpetual revolution of configured stars,
O perpetual recurrence of determined seasons,
O world of spring and autumn, birth and dying
The endless cycle of idea and action,
Endless invention, endless experiment,
Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness;
Knowledge of speech, but not of silence;
Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word.
All our knowledge brings us nearer to our ignorance,
All our ignorance brings us nearer to death,
But nearness to death no nearer to GOD.
Where is the Life we have lost in living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
The cycles of Heaven in twenty centuries
Bring us farther from GOD and nearer to the Dust.

T. S. Eliot (1888-1965),
The Rock (1934)
 
“The endless cycle of idea and action,
Endless invention, endless experiment,
Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness;
Knowledge of speech, but not of silence;
Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word.”

I like those particular sentences Norwich 12.

Paduard
 
paduard said:
“The endless cycle of idea and action,
Endless invention, endless experiment,
Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness;
Knowledge of speech, but not of silence;
Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word.”

I like those particular sentences Norwich 12.

Paduard
Click to expand...
Thank you Paduard. That hint takes us immediately to the Gospel of John, chapter 1, verses 1-3 in the New Jerusalem Bible:

In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things came into being, not one thing came into being except through him.

The Word (LOGOS) reminds me of Broca’s area in the brain. That is found in our left fronto-temporal region of the left hemisphere of the cerebrum of our brain.

View attachment 19494

And as a physician, since Broca’s area is so very near the inside of the forehead, we next go to the last book of the Bible, Revelation chapter 22, verse 4 (NJB).

they will see him face to face, and his name will be written on their foreheads
 
Our mental planning of words and the motor control of speech,
writing , and using our handheld devices and PC 's depend on Broca’s
area.

IMO this is one human characteristic formed in the image of Logos, the Son of God.​

“Broca’s area, located in the left hemisphere, is associated with speech production and articulation. Our ability to articulate ideas, as well as use words accurately in spoken and written language, has been attributed to this crucial area.”

memory.ucsf.edu
 
paduard said:
“The endless cycle of idea and action,
Endless invention, endless experiment,
Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness;
Knowledge of speech, but not of silence;
Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word.”

I like those particular sentences Norwich 12.

Paduard
Click to expand...
My comment Norwich 12 proceeds along the individual parallel lines of science we have consistently taken during this topic. I appreciate your line as you have detailed immediately above.

For me, I return to your quote as duplicated above, and express my appreciation of this text in the context of opposites i.e. motion/stillness, speech/silence. In other words negatives and positives/matter and anti-matter; and unless they connect no power is produced - in spiritual terms access to the ‘Power’ of The Word.

Best Wishes,
Paduard
 
Paduard – here is the power of the Word:

He said in reply, “It is written: ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:3 NAB - from the Gospel lesson March 8th.​

“every word” is the Word, the Son from the mouth of God.
The consecrated bread is the Word.
The image of God is the Word in Broca’s Area in the our left frontal lobe.
The symbol in the last chapter of Revelation about the
name on our forehead // not the mark of dust to dust in Lent ,
but our PIN in Heaven:
The Name on our foreheads will be LOGOS.
The Eternal Word that has been present since before the universe
was created.
Paduard – that is what you and T. S. Eliot mean when you say, pray, or write:
THE WORD.
Amen
 
Norwich12 said:
Paduard – here is the power of the Word:

He said in reply, “It is written: ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:3 NAB - from the Gospel lesson March 8th.​

“every word” is the Word, the Son from the mouth of God.
The consecrated bread is the Word.
The image of God is the Word in Broca’s Area in the our left frontal lobe.
The symbol in the last chapter of Revelation about the
name on our forehead // not the mark of dust to dust in Lent ,
but our PIN in Heaven:
The Name on our foreheads will be LOGOS.
The Eternal Word that has been present since before the universe
was created.
Paduard – that is what you and T. S. Eliot mean when you say, pray, or write:
THE WORD.
Amen
Click to expand...
Interesting Norwich 12 that you take a chance and mention our PIN; presumably in connection with Broca’s Area etc. Would you consider for argument’s sake that the PIN might be there already, for as science teaches not everything can be seen or necessarily easily detected?

Paduard
 
Yes Paduard. I think all baptized Christian have already received
a PIN on their forehead.

As a Biblical example:

“Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.”

Matthew 10:29-30 New American Bible.

I will go into more neuroanatomical detail this weekend.
 
The human frontal cortex helps mediate working memory, a system that is used for temporary storage and manipulation of information and that is involved in many higher cognitive functions. Working memory includes two components: short-term storage (on the order of seconds) and executive processes that operate on the contents of storage. Recently, these two components have been investigated in functional neuroimaging studies. Studies of storage indicate that different frontal regions are activated for different kinds of information: storage for verbal materials activates Broca’s area and left-hemisphere supplementary and premotor areas; storage of spatial information activates the right-hemisphere premotor cortex; and storage of object information activates other areas of the prefrontal cortex. Two of the fundamental executive processes are selective attention and task management.

Science Magazine, March 1999 Review article by Jones and Jonides, “Storage and Executive Processes in the Frontal Lobes”
The name LOGOS is on the foreheads of the baptized Christians. Inside the forehead part of the human skull is the prefrontal cortex. This is the area of executive functions like talking, planning, and knowing the difference between right and wrong – In other words, created in the image of God.

View attachment 19539

Diagram of Prefrontal Cortex
 
“I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Revelation 21:2 New American Bible
Next I will give my theory about the Throne in Heaven
and the throne in our skull: the sella turcica.
 
Norwich12 said:
“I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Revelation 21:2 New American Bible
Next I will give my theory about the Throne in Heaven
and the throne in our skull: the sella turcica.
Click to expand...
*The one who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Then he said, “Write these words down, for they are trustworthy and true.”
He said to me, "They are accomplished. I (am) the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water. *

Revelation 21:5&6 NAB

“The one who sat on the throne….”

Please note the saddle shaped structure in the center of the base of the inside of the skull.
That is the Sella Turcica (“Turkish saddle”) where the pituitary, the Master Gland of the brain sits. The large hole is the foramen magnum which surrounds the junction of the brainstem and spinal cord.

View attachment 19579

Sella Turcica

View attachment 19580

Side view of the head to show the pituitary gland in the sella turcica

To be continued this weekend regarding the life giving water.
 
**“Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb…” **

Revelation 22:1 NAB

“The ventricles of the brain are a communicating network of cavities filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and located within the brain parenchyma. The ventricular system is composed of 2 lateral ventricles, the third ventricle, the cerebral aqueduct, and the fourth ventricle (see the following images). The choroid plexuses located in the ventricles produce CSF, which fills the ventricles and subarachnoid space, following a cycle of constant production and reabsorption.”
Article in Medscape: “Ventricles of the Brain” by E. Crisan, MD

View attachment 19584
Diagram of Ventricles

The brain contains cavities called ventricles and aqueducts to transport the clear watery cerebro-spinal fluid to the spinal canal. The watery fluid has 3 main functions: protective cushioning of the brain, transporting hormones to the brain, and getting rid of wastes.

Notice in the diagram of the side view of the brain, that the watery cerebro-spinal fluid in the ventricular system passes over the Sella Turcica in the 3rd ventricle.

This arrangement is similar to the Biblical symbol—
like a throne with water coming from it.
]View attachment 19585

From MedicalArtLibrary
Diagram of sella turcica with pineal gland –
3rd ventricle is above them
 
I am continuing my comparison of the symbols of the City of Heaven (St. John’s vision) with human neuroanatomical structures (that would not have been understood in the first century AD).

It had a massive, high wall, with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed and on which names were inscribed, (the names) of the twelve tribes of the Israelites.
Revelation 21:12 NAB

The human skull has the cranial vault which protects the brain.

View attachment 19594

It had a massive, high wall, with twelve gates….

The base of the skull has bony openings like gates (foramina) for the exit of the twelve pairs of cranial nerves. These little nerves give us the ability to smell, have vision, hearing, tasting, plus eye movement, facial sensation and expressions, tongue movement, swallowing, and some neck muscle control.

INTERIOR of SKULL BASE

View attachment 19595

edoctoronline.com
 
Norwich 12

Thank you for your erudite explanations concerning the science aspect of the human skull; as you have enumerated so patiently within the last few contributions. Personally I certainly have no quarrel with respect to all of this,and do not in any way wish other than you continue with your expositions.

For my part in this post I wish to re-iterate (just as a technicality) my opinion that all of this, both yours and mine, still connect directly to the encyclical inasmuch as it concerns Hope. To re-quote: “And just as the future world in Christ has already begun, this also provides the certainty of hope.”

I would still prefer to follow my parallel route i.e. proceed backwards……and in this respect - first to make this observation from some of the text you have provided i.e.

Catechism: 1027 - This mystery of blessed communion with God and all who are in Christ is beyond all understanding and description.

My observation is this. That it does not apply to either the Angels or the Saints – for they already fully understand this mystery; and dare I say also that, although it quite obviously does apply to us here alive on this earth, it also applies to St.John himself during his vision of Revelations. So do you agree, or do you treat him as an exception – I mean as distinct from the text translation itself.?

I ask you this first before I go into the astronomical aspects of what might happen in connection with the parousia.

God Bless,
Paduard
 
paduard said:
Norwich 12

Thank you for your erudite explanations concerning the science aspect of the human skull; as you have enumerated so patiently within the last few contributions. Personally I certainly have no quarrel with respect to all of this,and do not in any way wish other than you continue with your expositions.

For my part in this post I wish to re-iterate (just as a technicality) my opinion that all of this, both yours and mine, still connect directly to the encyclical inasmuch as it concerns Hope. To re-quote: “And just as the future world in Christ has already begun, this also provides the certainty of hope.”

I would still prefer to follow my parallel route i.e. proceed backwards……and in this respect - first to make this observation from some of the text you have provided i.e.

Catechism: 1027 - This mystery of blessed communion with God and all who are in Christ is beyond all understanding and description.

My observation is this. That it does not apply to either the Angels or the Saints – for they already fully understand this mystery; and dare I say also that, although it quite obviously does apply to us here alive on this earth, it also applies to St.John himself during his vision of Revelations. So do you agree, or do you treat him as an exception – I mean as distinct from the text translation itself.?

I ask you this first before I go into the astronomical aspects of what might happen in connection with the parousia.

God Bless,
Paduard
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Thank you Paduard. I believe that St. John, as a devout human, had a vision. More than a phantasm but less than direct infusion of divine knowledge – as Christ had.

But as St. John was a human living two thousand years ago, presumably he was uneducated in human anatomy and neurophysiology.

*John did not realize that the symbols he described to tell the story of the New Jerusalem, the City of Heaven, could parallel actual structures in the human skull and the communication organ inside that is so complex – the brain. *
Code: 
          **And the human brain was created in the Image of God**.
View attachment 19604
 
Norwich12 said:
Yes Paduard. I think all baptized Christian have already received
a PIN on their forehead.

As a Biblical example:

“Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.”

Matthew 10:29-30 New American Bible.

I will go into more neuroanatomical detail this weekend.
Click to expand...
Dear Norwich 12.

I would go along with this i.e. “a PIN on their forehead” - but after some thought would express the opinion - But only at the sub-atomic level.

[Your post 209 refers]

Kindest Regards,
Paduard.
 
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.

Matthew 10:29-30 New American Bible.

IMO, the PIN (personal i.d. number) on the forehead at the moment of the sacrament of baptism refers to the pattern of the unique set of chromosomes that each human has.

View attachment 19620

Hairlike chromosomes

But Paduard referred to the “sub-atomic level.” That type of particle is important with the activation of the PIN.

And those particles will take us right back
to the encyclical of Pope Francis: LUMEN FIDEI
 
Norwich12 said:
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.

Matthew 10:29-30 New American Bible.

IMO, the PIN (personal i.d. number) on the forehead at the moment of the sacrament of baptism refers to the pattern of the unique set of chromosomes that each human has.

View attachment 19620

Hairlike chromosomes

But Paduard referred to the “sub-atomic level.” That type of particle is important with the activation of the PIN.

And those particles will take us right back
to the encyclical of Pope Francis: LUMEN FIDEI
Click to expand...
We have a slight technical hitch here Norwich 12; not regarding the principle of possessing a PIN – but with regard the ‘when’ as distinct from the ‘when’ of Baptism.

I have duplicated below an item from the Catechism of The Catholic Church; which speaks for itself:-

Baptism of Desire.
*Catechism: 1260 "Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery."63 Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity. *

As you will deduce, since all souls of mankind are born “immortal” – then it would be logical to assume that the PIN is given at birth, rather than only when a person is physically baptised.

Paduard
 
Thank you Paduard. That is an important clarification that I too want to make.
I really hope for universal salvation.
God cares for All His children.

The PIN is present in the chromosomes from conception.
But the unique distinction of Christian baptism is the invisible word
on the forehead : LOGOS.

That word becomes visible in heaven.

“they will see him face to face, and his name will be written on their foreheads”
Revelation 22:4

I will try next to explain my interpretation of activation of the PIN.
 
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