The painting " The Word Made Flesh"
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The following is another story from my new book titled:
"The Conical Labyrinth as a Spiritual Journey"
The two older women, Martha and Mary, who were friends since childhood, could not
have been closer even if they were sisters. They grew up in a small town as neighbors and
their families were close and were always there for one another through the good times and
the bad. Over the years, it seems that Martha's lot in life was always more difficult than
Mary's. Martha caught most every illness that went around and Mary did not. Martha's family
did not have as much of an income as Mary's family who had ben left a large inheritance.
Times got really tough for Martha's family during her junior year in high school so she had to
take on a part time job in a nursing home that was close by that her mother, Sarah, worked at in
the kitchen as the second cook. Martha's job was in the kitchen too setting up the patient trays
and helping with all the other chores, like peeling lots of vegetables. Martha did not mind the
hard work, but she sometimes envied Mary who could partake of all the after-school activities
that Martha could not.
Mary graduated with honors and went on to the local prestigious college in pre-law and then
went on to law school and again graduated with honors. She joined a local law firm that
handled environmental lawsuits. Martha worked her way through nursing school with some
monetary help from Mary's family. Martha became a registered nurse at the local Catholic
hospital. Both women flourished in their respected fields. Martha married her high
school sweet heart, John, who worked as a partner with his father in their hardware store. Mary
Married her high school sweetheart also, David, who worked at the same law firm as she did.
John and David were high school chums that enjoyed wood working as a hobby. Both of the
women's families lived close to each other and socialized together often even taking family
vacations together.
Ever since childhood Mary seemed closer to god then Martha even though she prayed
some and did good works. In her mid-years Mary sufferd a bone breaking fall while both
families were on a vacation together in the local mountains. Mary spent two months at the
hospital where Martha worked. Mary took the incident in stride and while in the hospital
she listened to or read the bible or other spiritual books. Mary went home, but she still
needed more time to recover as she had a lot of discomfort in her back and right leg. Mary
continued her reading, listened to hymns and spent time in prayer and mediation. Mary's
injuries alleared to have strengthened her faith in a loving God to all that met her. Martha
was baffled, for she had seen so many patients with severe injuries get bitter and
blamed everyone or everything for their injuries, why some even blamed God.
After her long recovery, Mary was able to work part time. The families had grown
closer through Mary's injuries over the years, and they enjoyed many more vacations
together. On one such vacation, at a beach town resort, Martha ask Mary to explain her
deep faith to her if she could. Mary had been thinking about her spiritual journey for some
time and had been writing it down. She told Martha that she had been working on it and had
a copy in the bible she had brought. It was called " The Conical Labyrinth as a Spiritual Journey"
and would be happy to share a copy with her. As the two gray haired women sat on a bench
overlooking th surf that pounded against the rocks and rolled upon the beach gently stirring
the sand and small stones Mary sharded with Martha her spiritual labyrinth idea. Martha
followed along as Mary read from the paper.
A spiritual life's journey can be explained, in one way, as a conical shaped labyrinth that
proceeds upwards towards God with God's light ever filling the inner nost portion. You can
try to imagine what this labyrinth looks like if you picture it rising upwards with some areas
larger and protruding out from other portions. In this kind of journey one starts out at the
bottom moving about discovering the areas they live in, other peoples and they begin to
learn about God and through baptism, they have some of God's light. These are the larger
protruding areas that represent home life or work, anywhere one spends a lot of time. One
can grow and mull about these areas for a long time as one's age does not matter. In any of
the areas one can join with other labyrinths for compaionship on your journey. By living a
good Christian life and following God's ways a person can move up to a higher level of
closeness to God, more divine help, encouragement and where you receive more of God's
light.
God is love so one has to let go of fearing God: The Father, Jesus, the Son, or the Holy
Spirit. Movement upwards towards God will lead to love for all peoples, compassion,
kindness, mercy, helpfulness, self-sacrifice, hopfulness and joy while a person has to let go
of sin, darkness, caused by breaking any of the Ten Commandments (Deut. 5: 6-21) and the
negative or evil feelings such as pride, anger, hate, lust, jealousy, vengefulness, greed, over
indulgences of liquor, drugs or food. These choices send the perpetrator spiraling out of their
labyrinth into a vast darkness that goes nowhere. for example, Judas, who betrayed Jesus,
had been reported as stealing from the common money bag (John 12:4-8), so he had sent
himself out of his labyrinth and into the darkness thereby loosing God's light that was
present in him By breaking the Commandment, that states a person must not steal, Judas
separated himself from the great law of loving God that was said as part of the Jewish
prayers that he would have know: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God the Lord alone
You shall love the Lord Your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all
your might" (Deut 6:4-5). Jesus would have seen the darkness in Judas. Life is full of
choices. A person must choose to be with God and live a life using God's ways. If one falls
out of their spiritual journey, labyrinth, into a vast, dark, nothingness all one has to do is
seek God again and ask for help and foregiveness and you will be in your labyrinth again.
God is love. Jesus is our Good Shepherd who is always searching for His lost sheep. So, do
not be afraid to seek Jesus for He is looking for you no matter what you may have done.
As one travels the labyrinth's pathways upwards, seeing God's guiding light, the
encounters can bring about a greater desire to learn more about God through reading,
listening, and studing scripture, by attending, and participating at church, and by being part
of a faith filled community, by listening to and singing hymns, by spiritual readings and
through contact with like-minded people. God can also send someone, full of God's light, to
help you on your journey upwards. A guiding influence. God's ways are refected in a life
full of charity, mercy, self-control, hope, respect for all life, people and nature. Most of all
one will draw ever closer to God and feel His love and mercy and extend that love and
mercy to all they encounter.
During a person's journey, it is God's will whether a person is given trials that give a
person spiritual strength and fortitude. sometimes these trials are very difficult and can last a
long time, but God will always give a person strength, hope and joy to get through them.
Another way of looking at life's trials is realized in Jesus cleansing the Temple by taking
cords and making a whip to drive out those things that did not belong in His Father's house.
Each of us is a Temple for the indwelling Holy Spirit and we need cleansing too. We just
have to ask Jesus to help us be cleansed and free from all things that can keep us from
drawing closer and closer to God. Sometimes during this cleansing, one's afflections can
become glorious where one's suffering reaches Jesus and He turns the affliction into a source of
power for prayer and good works. God can also give gifts, such as to pray in spirit,
prophecy, and to bring healing to a person spiritually, physically or mentally. On a conical
shaped labyrinth life's journey. can take many different twist and turns, ups and downs, but
God is love and Jesus, as a guiding light, will always be there to help you, just ask and you
shall receive.
Martha thought about all that Mary had revealed to her and wanted to look up the
scriptures that Mary had alluded too, as she had not noted all of them. As the two women
sat looking at the magnificent ocean vista Martha and Mary reflected on the labyrinth
journey. After some time passed Mary and Martha returned to the resort to look up the
scriptures together. The first scripture they found referred to God's light leading a person
for Jesus proclaimed that He is the light of the world.
John 9:3-5 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this
happened so that the work of god might be displayed in his life. As long as it si
day, we must do the work of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one
can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
John 12:44-50: Then Jesus cried out, "when a man believes in me, he does not
believe in me only, but in the One who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees
the One who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who
believes in me should stay in darkness. "As for the person who hears my words
but does not keep them, I do not judge him. for I did not come to judge the
world, but to save it. there is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not
accept my words, that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last
day. For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me
commended me what to say and how to say it. I know that His command leads
to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."
The next scriptures reffered to letting go of any fear that you have of God, for the fear of God
was instilled in people in an earlier time.
Exodus 20:18-20: When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the
trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. they stayed at a
distance and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. but do not have
God speak to us or we will die." Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid God
has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from
sinning."
Deut. 6:13: Fear the Lord your God, serve Him only and take your oaths in His name.
The next scriptures found tell of how one changes as they draw closer to God.
Galatians 5:19-26: TThe acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality,
impurity and debauchery; idolattry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of
rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the
like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the
kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no
law. Those who belong to christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its
passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Colossians 3:8-17: But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these
anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each
other, since you have taken off your old self with its praticies and have put on the
new self, which is being renewed to knowldge in the image of its Creator.
Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian,
slave or free, but Crist is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy
and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness
and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have
against one another. forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put
on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of christ rule in
Your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be
thankful.
Mary and Martha thought about these scriptures before reading more of them. the next
scriptures they read delt with doing God's will.
Mark 1:36: "Abba, Father," He said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup
from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."
John 7:15-17: The Jews were amazed and asked, "How did this man get such
learning without having studied?" Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It
comes from Him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find our
whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.
Hebrews 10:19-25: Therefore, brother, since we have confidence to enter the Most
Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the
curtain, that is, His body, since we have a great priest over the house of god, let
us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled to cleanse us from guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with
pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is
faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good
deeds. Let us ot give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let
us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Jesus as the Good Shepherd looking for lost sheep was the next scripture they located
along with the reassurance that Jesus can be found, for He came to save the lost.
John 10:11-16: "I am the good shepherd. The goodshepherd lays down his life for
the sheep. the hired hand is nto the sheperd who owns the sheep. So when he sees
The wolf coming, he abadons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the
flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares
nothing for the sheep. "I am the Good Shepherd, I know my sheep and my sheep
know me-just as the Father knows me and I know the Father-and I lay down my
life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this pen. I must bring them
also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
Matthew 7:7-10: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock
and the door wll be opened to you. for everyone who asks receives; he who seeks
finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
Luke 19:10: For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.
Martha and Mary paused for the day, but set a time to finish the scriptures the next day.
They started with looking up a scripture relating to living God's way.
2 Timonthy 3:10-17: You, houever, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my
purpose, faith, patience,love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings-what kinds of
happened to me in Antioch, Lconium, and Lystra, the persecutions I endured.
Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a
godly life in christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go
from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, know those from
whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have know the holy Scriptures,
which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All
Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for
every good work.
The next scriptures were about feeling God's love and mercy.
1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be
called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not
know us isthat it did not know him.
1 John 4:9,10; 13-16: This is how God showed His love among us. He sent His one
and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love, not that we
loved God, but that He lived us and sent His Son as an atoing sacrifice for our sins.
We know that we live in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the
world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he
in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever
lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
Mary and Martha now came upon the ways of God that are more difficult to understand
the trials and how they can strenghten a person spiritually. There was a scripture on how
to pray when afflicted too.
Romans 5:1-5: Therefore, sice we have been justifed through faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by
faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory
of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that
suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope. And
hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by
the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
2 Colossians 8:1-5: And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that
God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their
overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify
that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on
their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to
the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the
Lord and then to us in keeping with god's will.
1 James 1:12: Blessed is the person who persevers under trial, because when they
have stood the teat, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those
who love Him.
Ephesians 3:16-19: I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with
power through His Spirit in your inner beings, so that Chrisit may dwell in your hearts
through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have
power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and hight and deep is
the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be
filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Hebrews 12:4-13: In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point
of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragment that
addresses you as sons. "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do
not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and
He punishes everyone He accepts as a son." Endure hardshipship as disciline. God is
treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not
disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children
and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and
we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our
spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as the thought best, but
God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline
seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of
righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen
your feeble arms and weak knees. "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame
may not be disabled, but rather healed.
Romans 12:12: Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
The next scriptures the two looked up were about Jesus cleansing the Temple.
John 2:14-16: In the temple courts He found men selling cattle, sheep and doves,
and others sitting at tables exchaning money. So He made a whip out of cords, and
drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle, He scattered the coins of the
money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves He said, "Get
these out of here! How dare you turn My Father's house into a market!"
Martha noted in the following scripture that even from His youth Jesus knew that the
Temple was His Father's house.
Luke 2:9: "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "didn'y you know I
had to be in my Father's house?"
They looked up the scriptures about our bodies being the Temple of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 3:16: Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that
God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him,
for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you,
whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a
price. Therefore, honor God with your body.
Lastly, they looked up the different kinds of gifts the Holy Spirit may give to someone.
1 Corinthians 1:5, 7-11: There are different kinds of working, but the same God
works all ot them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is
given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of
wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to
another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to
another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distingushing between
spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the
interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and the Spirit
gives them to each one, just as the Holy Spirit determaines.
John 4:23-24: Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will
worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father
seeks. God is spirit and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.
When they had finished the two friends walked in silence to the bench they liked that
allowed them to see the beautiful panoramic views of the ocean where there were quite a few
different sized rock mounds covered with a sizable variety of sea birds. On some of the flatter
mounds seals sunned themselves. The two enjoyed hearing the ocean's various songs. Martha
was the first to speak. "ever since we were young I have always secretly been a little jealous of
you, Mary. You seemed to get everything so much easier then I ever could. You were always
able to grasp a concept a little faster then me and your family never wanted for anything. But
now I have come to realize just what a special friend you are and always have been for it was i
who was lacking in love and charity. I did not take time to ponder scriptures to know more
about a relationship with God as you must have done over many a year. I am truly humbled and
am even more grateful that God let you be my friend."
Mary took her friend's hand in hers and said: "Martha it is I who have always admired you,
for you worked so hard your whole life, while mine was so easy. When I had my accident
you gave up so much of your time to help me during my recovery. It was you who encouraged
me to walk through the pain. During your whole life I have watched you give of yourself to
countless people in need and to worthy causes. You were able to raise so much money on the
numerous walks you under took and other activities you accomplished for different charities
while I was always having to work on legal briefs dealing mostly with, lakes, reserviors and
waterways. How I envied your generous spirit. You have been such a positive light in my life."
Mary continued to tell her friend: "I may have spent more time studing scriptures, as for me, it
was a way to unwind from the stress of my job, but you have been living a Christian life. It has been
my joy to be your friend."
The day was ending with a stunning sunset that was transforming the stratus clouds on the
horizen and the ocean's waves into dancing brilliant pinks, crimsons and oranges. They both
marveled at the sight. Martha said: "God's world is always full of new and suprising wonders
everyday." As the two started their walk back to the resort, where their husbands had been
enjoying wood working workshops and exhibits, Martha started to hum the hymn, "What A
Friend We Have in Jesus." Within a few more steps the friends were singing the song linked arm
to arm.
[I hope all who read this story find it encouraging. If you would like to make a comment please
feel free to contact me at barbaramkozera@outlook.com Thank You.]
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The following information is an answer to my prayer requesting help in understanding a God who is love. The love that is God that allowed the death of his child, Jesus.
A death filled with betrayal, loss of friends, humiliation, and unbelievable pain. The answer begins with a new idea, placed into the apostles Creed, that states God is loving and that God is love. The scripture verses I added for a reference aid.
I believe in a loving God: God is love creator of heaven and earth...
The creed does not mention one of the most important truths found in the New Testament that, is repeatedly mentioned in the gospel of John that God is love. The feeling of love is explained as the energy people feel when they are in love. Energy like the healing energy felt by the sick women in the bible [Mark 15:28] who touched Jesus' garment and was healed as Jesus felt energy leaving him. After this on occasions people touched Jesus garment too and were healed [Matt14:36, Mark 6:56].
It was the energy of love that Jesus felt leaving his body when he cried out on the cross; "My God, My god why have you forsaken me" [Matt 27:46, Mark 15:34,
Psalm 22]. Jesus, fully human, dying on the cross knew the feeling of love for he had told his disciples how much he loved them as well as the Father's love for them and all people. Jesus stated on repeated occasions in the gospel of John about God's love for them and all people [John 13:1, 13:34; 15:8, 15:9, 15:17. 15:21; 17:26]. Jesus as he hung from the cross felt, for a period of time, as a person feels who is not baptized with water in the names of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit: empty or forsaken. Jesus had to feel this human condition for a period of time: The emptiness of not feeling God's love. This emptiness grew in Jesus as his life slipped away at the same time he was glorifying himself and God's name dying on the cross [John 12:23-28]. We with our human understanding, for the most part just see Jesus suffering on the cross in an unbelievable amount of pain. We are unable to understand all that happened through Jesus' death, but no matter how we understand Jesus' death God is love and is loving in all matters.
I am working on another painted meditation book. The following is a story from this book.
Christmas Glory
No one saw the accident, but on the ground were Mary's bicycle and a rather large tree branch in front of it. On this beautiful morning mary lay crumpled on the hard ground. It could not have been too long before a passerby found her. She was still warm. Hours later in the local Holiest Cross Hospital Mary was still not awake. Her mother, Sarah, was at the twelve year old's bedside talking to her. the doctors did not know how long Mary would be unconscious so a vigil of family members would share the time spent at her bedside.
June passed and now July was soon to pass, but Mary was still unconscious. Her mother knew how important it was to keep her stimulated, so books had been read, music played and current events talked about. Something kept nagging at Sarah. Finally, she realized it was Mary's love for Christmas. The music, stories and books now all revolved around Christmas. Soon all the staff started bring Christmas cards and decorations that filled her hospital room. Mary had monitors and different tubes here and there that the nurses kept an eye on; but while they did their work they softly sang Christmas songs. The doctors too could be heard humming Christmas songs. Everyone who came into her room began singing Christmas songs too!
After some time passed, Sarah put a prayer near Mary's bed that went like this; "Dear Jesus, Mary fell off her bicycle, hit her head and now sleeps. Is she visiting with you? when she is through visiting can you please send angels to guide her home. Amen." The Chaplin, John, and the sisters would visit Mary often both praying this prayer and other prayers and singing a Christmas song. Whoever visited her room would usually say the little prayer too. It so happened that this religious community of sisters was very active in the ecumenical movement. Two of the sisters regularly attended the monthly meetings along with different available sisters. The two Sisters Mary Elizabeth and Martha kept in touch often with all their colleagues from the twelve different churches as they had all become good friends. The ecumenical group, named The Cenacle for the room of the Last Supper, was involved in all forms of community social services that served a large segment of the town's population. Before too long the Cenacle members and their respected congregations learned about Mary and some of them also visited her, prayed with her and sang a song or two.
Time passed as fall and now winter was upon them with snow covering the landscape. Christmas day would soon be upon them and Mary was still unresponsive. There was talk of moving her to a long-term facility. Sarah was heart broken. All the staff nurses, physical therapist, housekeepers and the many others who had come to grow very fond of Mary were all dreading the first of the year move of their precious Mary. On Christmas Eve Mary's family was at home trying hard to celebrate Christmas. They had all attended an early church service and were now trying to eat the usual Christmas meal. The staff was going to keep an eye on Mary during this time.
At the hospital, on Mary's third floor, it was heard as soft singing of "Angels We Have Heard On High." The nurses thought it was Mary's CD. The singing grew louder and louder. Gloria now echoed loudly down the hallway. Nurse Emma started walking towards Mary's room that was now brightly lit. She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Mary coming out of her long occupied room escorted by countless singing angels. Mary was dressed in a white with red trimmed sweatshirt and pants Sarah had given her as a Christmas present. On the sweatshirt, Sarah had been inspired to have, in bold red letters, this message printed; "New Life," "Christmas," Glory" and "Love." The words "New Life" stood for Jesus' coming to earth birthed through Mary as both man and the Son of God and our getting "new Life"through baptism and the Holy Spirit. The word "Christmas," came from an Old English variant which representing the Christian Mass which brought forth the Last Supper where Jesus left us himself through prayer as bread and wine. The word "Christmas" also celebrates Jesus' birthday. The word "Glory" has carried special meanings: of God's brilliance, beauty, praise and honor all in one. Our ability to know God through Jesus allows us to the realization that God is truly "Love."
The procession of Mary and the angels walked past the staff heading to the stairwell and the exit. Mary's face beamed with joy. It seemed to the onlookers as though Mary was just gliding along. The singing procession of angels left the hospital and started to walk the mile or so to Mary's house. From the hospital many phone calls were made about Mary and the angels, but Sarah's telephone had been accidentally knocked off the receiver. People and cars stopped and watched. These people then joined in the procession. The Christmas Eve Mass had just concluded as well as some of the other churches' services and all of those people saw Mary and the angels. They too joined in the procession. by the time the singing angels reached Mary's house hundreds and hundreds of the town's residents and visitors had joined the procession. Sarah heard all the singing and dashed to the front door, flinging it open, she had expected to find a church choir singing, but she could not believe her eyes when she saw Mary, the angels and all the town's people. She hugged Mary with tears of joy flowing down her cheeks with the word "Gloria" filling the air. Christmas would never be the same again.
Later on when Mary was asked about her time in her coma she would smile and tell them the long ,months she slept seemed like a day or two had passed. Mary could only remember the feeling of freely traveling through space and seeing stars all about her. It was so beautiful. After a while on this journey she saw a cloud that shined and sparkled in different colors, like nothing seen on earth, as she drew closer she saw the figure of a man, Jesus. Mary felt embraced in love. It was wonderful. Jesus spoke saying: "It is time for you, Mary, to return home to the many, many people who love you there." In an instant Mary was sitting up in her hospital bed with angels helping her to get dressed in her new Christmas present of the sweatshirt and pants while they sang "Angels We Have Heard On High."