The Valley of the Shadow of Death

Some of the neighbors were enraged at Tabfa’s reputation for being a great saint, something which they had been intent on ruining. Tabfa’s life was at stake this time. They hired a hitman, and hoped to make a quick end of her for being such a success. Even the pope in Rome admitted that she was a living saint. The gang was determined to find something to use against Tabfa, to shame her, so that when she died, she would be discredited as a saint. They wanted to break into Tabfa’s apartment and steal all her books. And it turned out they wanted things that were even worse. They backed off for awhile, because they knew that if they killed her, she would probably be a martyr, and that would be the last thing they wanted. How to bring down a saint was their intent. But Tabfa’s whole life was exposed anyway, and she still did not sin, so the gang was at a loss. Tabfa only seemed to get better and better, instead of resting on her laurels. Finally, they decided to kill her anyway, just to stop her good influence, in a way that would not make her a martyr, and that would, with any hope, make her curse Jesus and die. That was the death they planned for her, and they were pretty sure they could do it. They would gangrape her, force her to curse Jesus, and brutally kill her. So, when Tabfa was alone in her home one night, five men arrived at the apartment building, were allowed in because they claimed to be police, and picked the lock to her apartment. They silently entered the living room and turned on the lights. Tabfa heard the sound from her bedroom. As soon as she saw the men coming in, she cried out, “Jesus, save me!” Jesus suddenly appeared. The men grabbed him and tied his hands together and went after Tabfa. Just as suddenly, Tabfa called 911 and simply disappeared. “Where did she go?” asked one of the men, who started to search all over the house. Tabfa simply was not there. In a rage, they started to beat Jesus. But Jesus went into action, and before too long, all ten of the men were wounded and falling to the floor. Then the police arrived. Tabfa reappeared in the living room. Jesus began to handcuff all the men, and when the police had come in, all of them were disabled and bleeding. “How on Earth did he do that?” asked Officer Vega. “Only a man in love with his woman could finish off those dudes,” said Officer Collins, laughing. “This is going to be easy. Okay, you fools and lunatics - come with us! Call a car, Vega!” The living room was a wreck, but Tabfa and Jesus were smiling. “You must be enclosed again for your own safety or risk another episode like this one,” warned Jesus. “This will not happen again, for I will send angels from Heaven to defend you. So, did you like being in Heaven for awhile when you disappeared?” “Oh yes, Jesus, it was beautiful,” said Tabfa. “Thank you!” The exultation of having seen the beatific vision would stay with Tabfa for the rest of her life. It turned out that Tabfa didn’t have the money to move out of the Bellevue Plaza. Rents were sky high, and so Jesus decided he himself would keep Tabfa safe. When the police cars came, all five men were taken away and jailed for forced entry and attempted gangrape. But they would be out soon, and this time they would try to get Tabfa again. Jesus had let Tabfa be on her own for a long time. Now, he would stay with her most of the time, to make sure she was safe. A glimpse of Heaven could make the worst sinner into a saint. Babies’ souls are stored in Heaven before conception, so that we recognize Heaven when we finally get there again. When you are ready to die, you will know it. When you are ready to die, true gratitude begins if you are going to Heaven. Death is a dark valley we must all traverse before we get to Heaven. A true religious hardly cares where she lives, as long as she has her vocation. A brush with death restores all our bearings, and makes us happy there is a Heaven afterwards. If anything should make us stop sinning, it is a brush with death. A true ascetic cares not much for his body - it is only there to be overcome. Don’t bother trying to convince anyone of anything - they will create their own opinions every time. Your wisdom is not yours; it is the deposit of experience of many generations and their listening to their hearts. By punishing your body, your concentration on your soul increases. In the old days of the Church, asceticism was praised; now such people who practice it get put into mental hospitals. Hardly anything that makes the layman happy makes the religious happy. Some people will say anything to make you think they have power over you. Some people will discuss those they hate more than the ones they like. A true religious, as long as she has God, can thrive even in a mob of people who don‘t like her. Some people think hateful words overheard are enough to drive you away; but until they say them to you face to face, they are mere mirages. It is often the loudest of hateful people who aren’t worth listening to. It is the people who cry out when abused that we should listen to, defend and get justice for. God will send people into your life who will defend you; remember to find ways to thank them. To the religious in love with God, ordinary men are just so much clay. Sometimes it is wise just to be quiet when people misunderstand you. Peace doesn’t have to exist around you just as long as it is in your heart and soul. It is often the people who don’t bother anyone who are the most maligned. Some people will call witchcraft anything they don’t understand. Some people are foolish enough to claim that someone doesn’t fit in with their crowd, when we are all basically the same. Some people are so envious, that they would try to destroy someone, just as soon as he is getting ahead. As long as the people you meet are kind, don’t worry about what you hear when eavesdropping. As long as you are basically quiet, don’t let anyone ruin your good time, no matter where you are. Headphones are probably just as good an invention as the light bulb. You cannot put someone into a mental hospital in the United States of America for being in the wrong religion. If someone mentally ill is quiet and self-possessed, without any symptoms and taking his medicine regularly, there is no reason to put him away. A mental hospital is not anyone’s home. You cannot put someone in a mental hospital based on what music they play. When a mentally person is out of the hospital, he can do as he pleases as long as he is law-abiding, just like everybody else. God may shut himself away from the unrepentant sinner; but those who finally overcome sin get their reward on Earth and in Heaven. “Do Protestants go to Heaven, Jesus?” asked Tabfa expectantly. “Yes, many,” said Jesus. “Some of them, unlike Roman Catholics who depend upon confession, never sin at all. Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I AM.” “But they don’t have communion,” said a curiosity seeker. “They have no life in them.” “Many Roman Catholics partake of the Eucharist in a state of mortal sin, and are thus condemned,” said Jesus. “A Protestant without sin is better than a condemned Roman Catholic.” Just let incriminating comments go by like passing ships; no one else wants to hear them either.