Chapter IV More Lessons to Peace Peace is not just the absence of war. Like a cathedral, peace must be constructed patiently and with unshakable faith. Pope John Paul II Undoubtedly, the search of peace represents one of the most primal concerns for mankind. Unfortunately, and as seen through history, the human race has not been able to attain such a desirable condition and the world is still plagued by much division, quarrels, and distrust. Although we all inherently recognize the goodness of peace and the superior perspective that this critical condition provides, we remain captive to old practices and hence devoid of its ultimate plenitude. The aim of this chapter is to show that peace may indeed be found progressively at a variety of scales: first in ourselves, then in
156 The Fig Tree & the Bell our relationships, then in our communities and cities, and finally in our countries and in the world at large, but only when heeding the cumulative teachings expressed in the previous lessons. That this is the case is argued complementing previous lessons with other guidelines to peace via complexity that, once again, point us to key Biblical passages that invite us to the fullness of love as epitomized by Jesus Christ. Besides including a summary of the symbolic ideas in the book, this chapter also reinforces some of such symbols as found on the face of the crucified on the Holy Shroud of Turin. The Lack of Power in Power Laws As recent studies of social networks suggest that friendship, even if loosely defined, is nicely described by a bell curve, 1 while webs of sexual promiscuity do not follow the normal distribution but are rather represented by power laws, 2 it becomes relevant to study such laws in detail in order to further appreciate the loving bell. During the past few years, the ubiquitous presence of power laws has been found in a variety of processes associated with natural complexity. 3 Perhaps the most famous of them is the one defining the Gutenberg Richter law for earthquakes, which summarizes the frequency of quakes having a given magnitude: 4 As is well known, the Richter scale defines the magnitude of the quake in terms of the logarithm in base 10 of the maximum amplitude of the earthquake s wave at the epicenter, and, as such, a quake of magnitude 7 is 10 times greater than one of magnitude 6, and 100 times larger than one of magnitude 5. 5 What the graph
Carlos E. Puente 157 shows is that tremors happen, strikingly, in a rather orderly manner and according to a law. As the slope of the line is close to 1, for one quake of magnitude 7, there are 10 of magnitude 6, 100 of magnitude 5, and so on. Although the precise timing of such scary events cannot be accurately predicted and such an inability remind us of our collective limitations, their placement, once they occur, may be anticipated to be on such a line, and such includes major quakes and also there, hence more predictable, aftershocks. When the graph is drawn without logarithms, it reflects a heavytailed power law relation between the probability of exceedance, P, and the maximum amplitude of a quake, x: P [X x] x c, where the power exponent c 1 is the slope of the line. As is known and thanks to God, smaller quakes are more likely than larger ones. What the power law adds to such a notion is that the transition between magnitudes happens on a unique line and without a notorious peak, hence indicating that there is no typical earthquake having a characteristic size. Power laws are certainly very common and happen in other manifestations of natural violence such as floods, avalanches, volcanic eruptions, and forest fires. 6 For all these instances and again thanks to God, small events are more frequent than larger ones, and, as if by magic, a line on a doubly-logarithmic graph summarizes how frequent such events are. Although the ranges of scales in magnitudes and the exponents for such laws vary from process to process, the fact that such distributions align in such a simple way expresses the presence of universal traits linking distinct scales, as it was found on fractal sets. This surprising commonality, despite the obvious intricacies, suggests that we may learn from such processes in order to tame our own violence and fragmentation. In addition to expressions of natural fury, power laws also appear prominently in various situations associated with human behavior. As first observed by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, such laws are found in the income and wealth inequalities in the world, both within each one of the nations and in the world at large. No longer thanks to God however, there are more people who have less
158 The Fig Tree & the Bell and less people who have more, and such disparities are illustrated below in the painful widening of world income distributions from 1960 to 1997, in two lines with negative slopes in log-log scales and corresponding to the percentiles 30th to 85th: 7 Another relevant example of power laws pertains to the distribution of human conflicts and wars, a sad statistic that surely is not pleasing to God. As first noted by Lewis Fry Richardson, the same scientist and pacifist associated with the notion of the multiplicative cascade in Chapter I, the distribution of the number of people killed in a conflict, and defining via a logarithm the severity of the event, s, aligns in an approximate law when considering those who die in interstate wars all the way to the world wars: 8
Carlos E. Puente 159 Surprisingly, or perhaps not, mankind s perverse violence in wars and inequalities is well fitted by heavy tails, that is, lines in double-logarithmic scales, and such has relevant implications for us as humans with souls. In regards to wars, if we like to assure that a big conflagration will not happen, there is no better solution but to abolish the power law of conflicts altogether. As there is no typical war having a characteristic size and as any event always lands on the line, a large conflict is just like a little one that grew, and hence in order to avoid such an event we ought to avoid all the smaller ones. Even if we don t like it, the process extends to us as individuals, and, even if we assume a position of superiority and dismiss reality as utopia, the true solution is for all of us to become peaceful and to live in harmony loving one another. In regards to our global economy, if we like to live in a just world, one that does not contain the rather symbolic two thirds of its citizens, 2/3 =0.666..., in poverty as discussed in Chapter I, and one that does not reflect the negativity of our evil degrees of separation, that is, the very accurate metaphor that we are on average approximately six steps away from any other person on our planet, 9 there is no solution but to abolish all greedy Pareto power laws reflecting the verifiable fact that the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Tm 6:10). For, as argued before, even though it may appear that there are better nations than others, not only in their gross domestic products but also in their wealth distributions, the latter may be fitted via multiplicative cascades that capture their equally inefficient devil s staircases relative to the most economic uniform histogram. For even if we rather prefer, once again, to have a posture of superiority on these matters and diminish human beings by measuring them via finite numbers, helping one another and sharing what we have is the only solution of common sense. For as St. Paul clearly states, your surplus at the present time should supply their needs, so that their surplus may also supply your needs, that there may be equality (2 Cor 8:14). As recently it has been found that power laws happen due to a handful of mechanisms, 10 it is wise to learn about them to see how we may achieve a better world. The conspicuous lines in loglog plots appear via: multiplicative cascades leading to multifractal
160 The Fig Tree & the Bell histograms, preferential connections in networks where some nodes dominate, highly-optimized tolerance, hot, when a global principle is used on a system to determine its outputs, and, prominently, selforganized criticality, a notion by which, say, a pile of sand grows until its excessive and critical slope results in predictable avalanches of unpredictable sizes, which yield a power-law distribution: 11 As may be palpably hinted, to construct peace, it is sensible for us to counter such mechanisms. This means rectifying the biased histograms cutting the mountains and filling the valleys and establishing the uniform condition (Lk 3:5), leveling the playing field defining a truly inclusive network that reflects our impartial love (Jas 5:8 9), exchanging the global optimization notions in hot by local optimization reflecting love to those in the network around us (Mt 25:35 36), and avoiding energy accumulations that clearly destroy unity (Mt 16:24). For even if we play fun and hot games at the beach, we should recognize the subtlety of our own invisible hands in the sad avalanches and fragmentation around us. To Log or not to Log Clearly, all these ideas point us to the non-preferential organization of love and, hence, to the unique and positive exponential function argued for in Chapter III as the solution we all seek. Given that the generic natural logarithmic function:
Carlos E. Puente 161 ln x = 1 x dx, is the inverse of the exponential and as such has a negative connotation in our inability to do anything by ourselves and without the one, as expressed in Jesus discourse about the vine and the branches (Jn 15:1 10), we may observe, in an ingenious manner, how the minimization of energy always present in our untamed selfishness, shaped as the negative spiral 6 of natural eddies, generates power laws and how the inherent lack of union produced by violence is in fact a manifestation of evil that portrays three symbolic negations, like the ones of Peter (Mk 14:66 72), in the two logarithmic scales and in the line with a negative slope. For the word log comes from cutting a number according to a base (in this case 10), but it also means to cut down trees to produce cylindrical logs that, quite accurately, express the negative beams we commonly have in our eyes that prevent us from helping one another (Mt 7:3 5). After all, all power laws herein help us appreciate the dissipation that happens when we lose our intrinsic scale and abuse our powers. For, as may be further appreciated, in particular from the graph about our conflicts, fitting heavy-tailed distributions via regressions having very high determination coefficients (r 2 =0.985), ultimately represents false and incomplete illusions of straightness, for such are only grotesque and sad regressions to dissipation and terror that in no way resemble the immaculate and real rectitude to which we are all called with due determination, that is, the precious hypotenuse Y = X. These lessons, playing with subtleties in language, are, in the end, strikingly simple and pertinent to our times. They remind us of the tried fact that when we abandon our human consciousness, we invariably end up paying the just and ubiquitous consequences of our avalanches and cascades. 12 And they also remind us that blaming others, that is, those in hierarchy and including the devil, is futile, for it is up to us to mend the world. In a day and age when we have come to accept the indifference of the divisive winds (Eph 2:2) as something normal, when we are increasingly guided by the false dogmas of competition, dom-
162 The Fig Tree & the Bell ination, and the survival of the fittest, and when the natural stresses and superfluous distractions in our busy modern lives have obscured the very reason of our existence in glorifying God (Ps 29:2), these notions based on power laws call us to ponder slowly about our spiritual realities. Aren t we playing with fire by not paying attention to the tried metaphor, explicit in distributions with heavy tails, that conflagrations and economic inequalities do not know how big they will become before they start? Aren t we playing a silly game of power either letting power laws propagate or trying to tame some of them by force? Aren t we growing due heady tails of savage men by dismissing our souls? As argued before, there is only one solution for us. We have no option but to become childlike, that is, children of God, so that by growing our true determination to unity, 1 = 0.999..., that is, by maximizing our energies, we all may construct a just world by the rules of love. 13 For, in consonance with the saintly citation starting this chapter, only by accepting the powerful power of powerlessness we may fulfill the rather beautiful universal equation: that would have allowed the young rich man who met Jesus to share it all with the poor (Mt 19:16 24), the same action that would allow all of us to say, Whoever had much did not have more, and whoever had little did not have less (2 Cor 8:15). Chaos, Complexity, and Christianity As explained in this work, chaos and complexity have nothing to do with Christianity. Following Jesus Christ starts with a sincere conversion, away from fractals, chaos, and power laws, and this is a required and constant process, as metaphorical as the three times the apostle Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit (Jn 20:22), acknowledged his love for the risen Christ, 999 (Jn 21:15 17), from which emanates simplicity rather than complexity.
Carlos E. Puente 163 As the Psalmist explains, The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The decree of the Lord is trustworthy giving wisdom to the simple (Ps 19:8), and God s way is unerring, the Lord s promise is tried and true (Ps 18:31). As the apostle Paul adds, God is not a God of disorder, that is, of complexity, but a God of peace (1 Cor 14:33), for the kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17), for through Jesus, the Prince of Peace (Is 9:5), God gives us the gift of the Spirit, which is not one of cowardice, but one of power and love and self-control (2 Tm 1:7). These citations are certainly consistent with the code of peace explained in this book, one that is based on three related actions as explained on each one of the preceding chapters: continued repentance towards the balanced state, that is, our Lord Jesus Christ symbolized by 2; complete surrendering to Him so that we may converge to God our Father, that is, the saintly Origin as seen in π; and progressive yielding to the plenitude of Love via the transforming action of the Holy Spirit denoted by e. These actions surely help us avoid the dreadful consequences of being out of line as they all define straightness: p =1/2 in equilibrium, α 1 in the root of the Feigenbaum tree, and z 1in the bell at infinity. As the key letters above make the word paz in Spanish meaning peace, the message of this book may then be remembered as straightness and peace. This is cute indeed, and it is also coherent, for as explained by the apostle John regarding the crucifixion, There are three that testify, the Spirit, the water and the blood, and the three are of one accord (1 Jn 5:7 8) and for Jesus, in a symbolically perfect manner, breathed His last for us precisely at the 9 th hour (Mk 15:34 37) and at that time the veil of the temple was torn down precisely by the middle (Lk 23:45), as a profound reminder of the way to saintly equilibrium. 14 The prescribed passage from darkness to light (Am 8:9), and the implied righteousness that follows a profound conversion, or shall we call it a phase transition, is no doubt related to the universal transition from the negative to the positive spiral. As the entrance to the Kingdom can only happen by the melting of our hearts, such inspires yet additional reflections.
164 The Fig Tree & the Bell Phase Transition Complexity lessons for love, saying no to cascades I am better off. Complexity inciting peace, avoiding all bifurcations the strange o cease. Complexity lessons for love, subduing my turbulence I find the dove. Complexity inciting peace, embracing fractal dust my chaos increase. Complexity lessons for love, in power laws you see the selfish globe. Complexity inciting peace, critical states reflect o fierce release. Complexity lessons for love, in sublime dimension network for all. Complexity inciting peace, o mighty phase transition straight it is.
Carlos E. Puente 165 A Bit More Trinitarian Syncretism As our sublimation takes place, literally transforming cold into warm and loosening our hearts, it is relevant to consider the triune diagram of Chapter III one more time, in order to consider yet other key associations between subjects of modern science and matters of Holy Scripture: As may be appreciated, in this awesome and flowing diagram, from x into y, we may see beautiful invitations for us to taste the water at the fountain of salvation (Is 12:3) (the uniform dx), and the living waters (Jn 4:10) (the bell at infinity dy). These waters are both energetic as they stem from the process of reconciliation, but the living waters are particularly special as they are related to the risen Christ via the angelic cloud which is the Holy Spirit. For as Jesus said, Whoever believes in me, as scripture says: Rivers of living water will flow from within him (Jn 7:38). How exhilarating it is to receive the Spirit s baptism when one meets the mystical requirement of the phase transition, technically known as being born again. For as Jesus said, Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above (Jn 3:3) (the concentrated bell dy) and no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit (Jn 3:5) (the uniform dx of John the Baptist and the limiting spacefilling cloud of ultimate love). For, as He further explained, The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit (Jn 3:8). 15
166 The Fig Tree & the Bell As explained by the apostle Paul, It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith (Rom 4:13). This means that the promise was made not because of the fulfillment of the uniform dx, but rather due to the faith associated with the transformation from x into y. This geometric fact may also be seen in other citations by St. Paul that emphasize the Spirit, such as, if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law (Gal 5:18), we are released from the law, dead to what held us captive, so that we may serve in the newness of the Spirit and not under the obsolete letter (Rom 7:6), and you also were put to death to the law through the body of Christ, so that we may belong to another, to the one who was raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God (Rom 7:4). These technicalities about the way to heaven are relevant for they allow us to further appreciate, in the passage from x into y, that is, from the cross to surrendering on it, our required death to falseness and futility (Eph 4:17), and for they help us visualize our own relationship with the sufferings of the crucified Christ (Rom 8:17). This is seen in the words of the apostle Paul when he said, We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery of sin (Rom 6:6) and if, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him (Rom 6:8). The limiting process is, no doubt, a wonderful experience and by it we may appreciate why At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present we know partially; then we shall know fully, as we are fully known (1 Cor 13:12). This progressive purification process (1 Jn 3:2 3) is certainly a fantastic experience, as it is truly inspiring to grasp within our beings the unfailing action of divine love. All of these is consistent in Scripture and also in the symbols from science explained in these pages. For instance, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal 5:22 23), nine components; the beatitudes define blessedness to: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the ones who are meek, those who hunger and thirst for
Carlos E. Puente 167 righteousness, the ones that are the merciful, those clean of heart, the peacemakers, the ones who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, and those insulted and persecuted falsely because of Jesus (Mt 5:3 11), again nine elements; and we celebrate a novena, nine days, to commemorate the days the disciples prayed between Jesus ascension into heaven (Acts 1:2,14) and the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1 4). How not to recognize consistent unity and love, 1 = 0.999..., and rejoice with the Psalmist saying, I have seen the limits of all perfection, but your command is without bounds? (Ps 119:96). How not to add with due reverence and humility, God s grandeur is beyond understanding? (Ps 145:3). Invitations and Admonitions Besides the shown typology in Scripture regarding our choices as related to matters of complexity and simplicity, the Bible also has a consistent way of sharing God s message and that entails invitations to His goodness and also admonitions, in case we choose not to pay attention to His love. As may be seen all along and as summarized by God s words through the prophet Isaiah, All you who are thirsty, come to the water! (Is 55:1), this work, not inappropriately from a hydrologist, represents an invitation to the fullness of love. This is the case, for as we fully surrender to the water of baptism, we also receive the mystical warmth of the living water (Jr 2:13), the Holy Spirit, which accompanies us in our journey (Acts 19:4 6), and for Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (Rv 22:13), in all truth tells us, To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water. The victor will inherit these gifts, and I shall be his God, and he will be my son (Rv 21:6 7). As these pages attest, the sought plenitude may only be attained in the positive cross of Christ, and such strongly remind us that it is by the stone rejected by the builders that salvation happens, that is, by the true cornerstone (Acts 4:11). Thus, the
168 The Fig Tree & the Bell ever-present call is for every one of us to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38), so that, in the fullness of faith, that is, the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen (Heb 11:1), we may fulfill God s promises. For Jesus, suitably crowned with our thorns of complexity (Mt 27:29), says, Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him (Jn 14:23) and Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me (Rv 3:20). Clearly, and as repeatedly expressed in these pages, humility and simplicity are truly important components in God s perfect plan for us. Such may be seen, for instance, in the famous Lord s prayer that many repeat on a daily basis (Mt 6:11 13), and on several exhortations by Jesus that include, Can any of you by worrying add a moment to your life-span? (Lk 12:25), whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted (Mt 23:12), and seek his kingdom, and these other things will be given you besides (Lk 12:31). The key is for us to humbly rely on God, for as explained by St. Paul, whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord (1 Cor 1:31). Furthermore, the apostle adds, it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the learning of the learned I will set aside. Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish? (1 Cor 1:19 20, Is 29:14), For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God, for it is written: He catches the wise in their own ruses, and again The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain (1 Cor 3:19 20, Jb 5:13, Ps 94:11), and for God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong (1 Cor 1:27). All these quotations are consistent as the Lord guides the humble rightly, and teaches the humble the way (Ps 25:9) and as The revelation of God s words sheds light, gives understanding to the simple (Ps 119:130). For after Jesus told the disciples to rejoice because their names were written in heaven, He Himself rejoiced
Carlos E. Puente 169 in the Holy Spirit and said, I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes Father, such has been your gracious will (Lk 10:21). In a day and age when the wrath of war amounts to 1% of all deaths in history, 16 when the unborn children of God are persecuted and killed in numbers that exceed all those who died on wars in only a few years, 17 when immorality of different types is excused based on a variety of selfish decisions at several scales, and when some try to date a return that only God the Father knows (Mk 13:32), it is pertinent to recall that this work also leads to very clear admonitions, which poignantly summons us to be fully reconciled with God, to be watchful and alert (Mk 13:33). For through the prophets God says, Lo, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and burning anger; to lay waste the land and destroy the sinners within it! (Is 13:9), See, the day of the Lord! See, the end is coming! Lawlessness is in full bloom, insolence flourishes, violence has risen to support wickedness (Ez 7:10 11), and Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who change darkness into light, and light into darkness, who change bitter into sweet, and sweet into bitter (Is 5:20). As Jesus himself adds, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy on your name? Did we not drive out demons on your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name? Then I will declare to them solemnly, I never knew you. Depart from me you evildoers (Mt 7:21 23), we ought to be on guard for the one who masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14), the one who falsely whispers in our minds that all is broken, finite, disordered, and quite dead. For as suggested in Chapter II via the ever-symbolic fig tree, one that encompasses the fall of Adam and Eve (Gn 3:7), the righteousness of an Israelite (Jn 1:47 48), the cursing of a fruitless tree (Mt 21:18 22), a lesson related with Jesus return (Mt 24:32 35), and His ascension into heaven happening as far as Bethany, the city of figs, (Lk 24:50 51, Acts 1:9):
170 The Fig Tree & the Bell Yes, it is near, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and somberness! Like dawn spreading over the mountains, a people numerous and mighty! Their like has not been from of old, nor will it be after them, even to the years of distant generations (Jl 2:2). For see, the Lord comes forth from his place, he descends and treads upon the heights of the earth. The mountains melt under him and the valleys split open (Mi 1:3 4). For lo the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and evil doers will be stubble, And the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the Lord of hosts (Mal 3:19), for the root of the tree above shall become, in due time, the united row at the heavenly bell. Notice how these passages point us naturally to humility, a condition that is easily discerned from Jesus very awesome explanation of the parable of the weeds, for when His disciples approached him and said, Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field. He said in reply, He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of
Carlos E. Puente 171 teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear (Mt 13:36 43). How not to listen to the prophet Isaiah when he proclaims, Come near, O nations, and hear; be attentive, O peoples! Let the earth and what fills it listen, the world and all it produces. The Lord is angry with all the nations and is wrathful against all their host; he has doomed them and given them over to slaughter. Their slain shall be cast out, their corpses shall send up a stench; the mountains shall run with their blood, and all the hills shall rot. The heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll, and all their host shall wither away, as the leaf wilts on the vine, or as the fig withers on the tree? (Is 34:1 4). How not to be prepared to answer the key question raised by the prophet Jeremiah, What will you do when the end comes? (Jer 5:31). In the somberness of these citations, it is wonderful however to recognize God s plan through Jesus Christ, for as said through the prophet Isaiah, I, the Lord, have called my servant for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness (Is 42:6 7). It is soothing indeed to realize that in Christ, we are truly no longer alone, that in the fullness of his unveiled Trinitarian diagram we are protected from any turbulent troubles as He assures us through the prophet, When you pass through the water, I will be with you; in the rivers you shall not be drown. When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned; the flames shall not consume you (Is 43:2). How wonderful it is to realize that in the symphony of unitive love that defines the Most Holy Trinity, the devil cannot drag us, as he can only strike at our heels while we, together with our mother Mary, bruise him at his head! (Gn 3:15). For, as Jesus further explains, the believer is not to belong to the earth below but rather should remain with God above, (Jn 8:23), that is, in holiness like His obedient children (1 Pt 1:14 15) For, in the same spirit, children may recognize Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega (Rv 22:13), as a powerful sign in the sky (Lk 21:25) in the recently measured background radiation that turned out to be
172 The Fig Tree & the Bell consistent with the notion of the Big Bang, even if the white letters, on the first quadrant, appear to be painted by a kid and the α only appears correctly positioned when looking from behind the figure, as when observing the graph from the past to the present: 18 How not to admire this figure, which by confirming the primeval explosion has been hailed as the face of God, and exclaim, The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky proclaims its builder s craft. One day to the next convey the message; one night to the next imparts that knowledge. There is no word or sound; no voice is heard; yet their report goes forth through all the earth, their message to the ends of the world? (Ps 19:2 5). How not to appreciate in the figure the very image of the ever-present Son, once again the α and the Ω, the one who is and who was and who is to come (Rv 1:8) and recognize that our infinite and omnipotent God who has been in control all along? How not to rejoice with the Psalmist and say, you make me jubilant, Lord, by your deeds, at the works of your hands I shout for joy? (Ps 92:5). In a day and age when the richest 1% of adults own 40% of the global assets in the world and when few very rich people possess more financial assets than many poor nations combined, 19 it is important not to lose track of other admonitions from Scripture. For, according to the prophets, there shall be a future world where, Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to save them on the day of the Lord s wrath (Zep 1:18, Bar 3:17 19, Ez 7:19), and this should serve as ample warning for all of us to do what is right. No doubt our world is rather fractal, and the writing is on the wall.
Carlos E. Puente 173 It is time for loving action, away from selfishness, for, as Scripture reminds us, What did our pride avail us? What have wealth and its boastfulness afforded us? All of them passed like a shadow and like a fleeting rumor (Wis 5:8 9). All these loving advice is consistent throughout Scripture, such as the powerful words via the prophet Jeremiah, Should you not fear me, says the Lord, should you not tremble before me? (Jer 5:22), which shall lead us to fully appreciate with due reverence other relevant words by prophets, such as, But the Lord is in his holy temple; silence before him, all the earth! (Hab 2:20), and Silence in the presence of the Lord God! for near is the day of the Lord, Yes, the Lord has prepared a slaughter feast, he has consecrated his guests (Zep 1:7). For what God said to the house of Israel very vividly applies to us, Can I not do to you, as this potter has done? says the Lord. Indeed like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand (Jer 18:6). Clearly, then, the invitation starts with a plea, Hear me, O coastlands, listen, O distant peoples (Is 49:1), or using modern science, hear o fractals, listen you of broken faith (Ez 15:8), the way of the just is smooth (Is 26:7), Return, rebellious children, says the Lord, for I am your Master (Jer 3:14), Return and be converted from your idols; turn yourselves away from all abominations (Ez 14:6), which then must leads us to love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith (1 Tm 1:5), through the one who is the first and the last (Is 44:6), the one to whom every knee shall bend and every tongue give praise (Is 45:23, Rom 14:11), the one and only Jesus Christ (Jn 1:17, Acts 4:12). For, as Jesus explains, everyone will be salted with fire (Mk 9:49), and hence our love should grow such that we not only hear the word but also fulfill it (Jas 1:22 25), giving ample fruit which may testify to the quality of our work (1 Cor 3:10 15). For we, the sons of God, are called to be repairers of the breach (Is 58:12) and hence we are called to action by releasing those bound unjustly, setting free the oppressed, sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless, clothing the naked (Is 58:6 7), which is the essence of true fasting in accordance with God s will (Is 58:6), and the true fulfillment of our freedom.
174 The Fig Tree & the Bell Even though scientists are expected to be unemotional and hence not to speak about love and much less about matters of religion, the reflections on both topics herein strongly suggest that our call is no less than accepting the fullness of God s invitation, which as explained earlier, heals completely our original wound, purifies all our relationships, and leads us to our best eternal destination. For the kiss of God through the cleansing blood of Christ, the lamb of God, shows the perfect will and love for us (Is 43:4), cancels our covenant with death and the netherworld (Is 28:18), and leads us to a superior condition of Salvation and Praise (Is 60:18) and a thirty, sixty, or hundredfold yield (Mk 4:8) where, by His placing of His law within our hearts (Jer 31:33, Ez 36:26), we are able to find peace, but only through Jesus Christ (Rom 5:1). For as the prophet Isaiah teaches, There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea (Is 11:9), for the Lord assures us that Those who offer praise as a sacrifice honor me; to the obedient I will show the salvation of God (Ps 50:23). In accordance with the previous chapters, these quotations should inspire us to live in love and with no fear (1 Jn 4:18) and join with the Psalmist to say, I will keep your teachings always, for all time and forever. I will walk freely in an open space because I cherish your precepts (Ps 119:44 45), or, similarly, let it be done to us according to our faith (Mt 9:29). How not to rejoice about our future when the Shepherd Himself, the one who laid down His life in order to take it up again (Jn 10:17), shall guide the surviving faithful? For as promised through the prophets, Jesus will destroy death forever, and The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces (Is 25:8). For at that time, from behind, a small voice shall sound in your ears: This is the way; walk in it, when you would turn to the right or to the left (Is 30:21), and hence the symbolic Ω point of Chapter II will be fully within grasp, as the corruptible and dishonorable shall be transformed into the incorruptible and glorious (1 Cor 15:42 43). How not to exalt God with due joy as His presence shall remain with us? For No longer shall the sun be your light by day, nor the brightness of the moon shine upon you at night; The Lord shall
Carlos E. Puente 175 be your light forever, your God shall be your glory (Is 60:19). How not to not shed a tear of joy (a sweet fig) when realizing that the water emanating from God s temple shall lead to everlasting fruitfulness (Ez 47:1 12)? How not to extol in anticipation, as the fig tree puts forth its figs (Song 2:13), as hinted in this work? How not to be attracted to holiness? For power emanated from Jesus cloak (Mt 14:36), the Holy Spirit manifested Himself in the apostles by the laying of hands (Acts 6:6), the very shadow of the apostle Peter healed the sick (Acts 5:15), and that aprons touched by the apostle Paul also healed and expelled evil spirits (Acts 19:11 12). How not to be excited about the mysterious rapture? For We shall not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet (1 Cor 15:51 52), to become a truly new creation (2 Cor 5:17). In a day and age when humankind continues trying to avoid God in their lives, when divisions based on selfish misconceptions about race, wealth, gender, and religion abound, the resounding ancient invitation remains, Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who have observed his law; Seek justice, seek humility; perhaps you may be sheltered on the day of the Lord s anger (Zep 2:3), Come now, let us set things right, says the Lord: though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool (Is 1:18). For the Lord says, This is the one whom I approve: the lowly and afflicted man who trembles at my word (Is 66:2), the one that lets justice surge like water, and goodness as an unfailing stream (Am 5:24), the one who lays his life for his brothers and sisters, as Jesus did (1 Jn 3:16). For as the Psalmist repeats, we shall learn to savor how good the Lord is; for happy are those who take refuge in him (Ps 34:9). We shall fully rejoice in His coming and join the applause, Let the rivers clap their hands, the mountains shout with them for joy, before the Lord who comes, who comes to govern the earth, to govern the earth with justice and the peoples with fairness (Ps 98:8 9), and follow the good advice of the prophets and be properly married in love to the Lamb (Is 62:5, Rv 21:9) so that we may, in the strength of the Holy Spirit, say to those whose hearts
176 The Fig Tree & the Bell are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; With divine recompense he comes to save you (Is 35:4). In a day and age when some hope to have a better opportunity at life as they reincarnate in the future, it is relevant to realize that the appointed time for reconciliation is now in this, our only earthly life, that the time to be still and meet God (Ps 46:11) is now, that the time to accept the incomparable light of God (Eph 5:9) is now, that the time to accept God s shelter and power (Is 25:4, 1 Cor 2:4 5) is now, that the time to worship in Spirit and truth (Jn 4:23) is now, that the time to embrace God s love as the perfect bond (Col 3:14, 1 Cor 13:1 3) is now, and that the best time to leave the yoke of slavery (Gal 5:1) is now. But the action should be made truly in earnest, for the Lord explains, When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you, says the Lord, and I will change your lot (Jer 29:13 14) and If you seek wisdom like silver, and like hidden treasures search her out: then you will understand the fear of the Lord; the knowledge of God you will find (Prv 2:4 5), for consistently and as explained by the Psalmist, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Ps 111:10). How not to play God s hopscotch obediently knowing that the rules of love yield an eternal reward? How not to play knowing that we shall remain with Him forever in heaven (Jn 14:2 3) as truly brothers and sisters? (Mt 12:50). How to forget that He shall justly separate the sheep from the goats? (Mt 25:31 46). How to dismiss the very reality and finality of a rather chaotic hell, described in detail in the parable of the rich man and a poor Lazarus, not the brother of Martha and Mary resurrected by Jesus (Jn 11:1 44), as a great chasm was established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to theirs or from their side to ours (Lk 16:19 31)? These pages have shown that regarding our options there is no contradiction between matters of science and reason and matters of Scripture and faith. Our choices are, at the end, very clear, as illustrated in the face of the cover of this book, and it is much better to surrender to Christ s love than the alternative. 20
Carlos E. Puente 177 The Lessons and the Shroud of Turin As a way of an epilogue, this section includes additional reflections inspired by the visit of Dutch physician Petrus Soons to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in the capital city of Sacramento, California, on February 27, 2010, when he shared a talk about recent holograms of the Holy Shroud performed under his leadership, as part of the opening ceremonies of a permanent exhibit Who is the man of the shroud? Dr. Soons started by mentioning some of the mysteries of the relic, how it is believed that Jude Thaddeus, one of the twelve disciples and my Patron Saint, took it to the city of Edessa where King Abgar, upon seeing the imprinted face, got healed of an incurable illness; how it seems that it stayed hidden in the wall gates of the city until the middle of the VI century; how it was then probably moved to Constantinople in the X century; how it was known during the crusades but unaccounted for various centuries; how it appeared consistently in history at Lirey, France in 135;, and how it finally, after being sold in exchange for a castle, rests in its current location in Turin, Italy since 1578. 21 Upon touching on matters of the carbon dating made in 1988, which appeared to place the shroud as a forgery made in the middle ages and not as a possible burial cloth of Jesus Christ, Dr. Soons explained how the samples analyzed were not significant as they contained the original linen intertwined with more modern cotton threads used in restorations. Then he proceeded to explain how existing pictures of the shroud, which surprisingly are photographic negatives, were used to make the holograms that allowed corroboration of previously seen features on the original pictures and the elucidation of new discoveries. 22 The holograms confirm the presence of a halo around the head of the crucified, which is, of course, consistent with the sanctity of Jesus, as seen yet one more time via the equation:
178 The Fig Tree & the Bell After all, by practicing His positive spiral of love, Jesus always maintained unity with God the Father, and the time of His very death for all of us corresponds to the same geometric symbol the 9 hour (Mk 15:33). The holograms support the presence of two small coins placed in the eyelids of the crucified, consistent with those minted around the times of Jesus life, between years 29 and 34. In here we may see, with due imagination, a reminder to our sainthood via the lovely equation of Chapter II, which uncovers, in the company with others, the power of infinity: 0+0=. The holograms allow to identify an oval-shaped stone under the chin of the crucified. As is seen on a picture produced by Dr. Soons and rendered here in grayscale, there are three discernable letters on it: With his knowledge of calligraphy, Dr. Soons identified them in Hebrew as:
Carlos E. Puente 179 which from left to right are Nun, Aleph, and Tsade. It happens that these letters, from right to left, make up the word Tson that means small flock and this is entirely consistent with Jesus as He is the Good Shepherd (Jn 10:1 16). It also occurs that tson also appears once in the Bible as the Lamb, at the time when the Passover is promulgated by Moses (Ex 12:21), 23 and hence the oval stone also describes Jesus essence in being the universal Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn 1:29), as proclaimed by John the Baptist. These associations are no doubt profound and significant, but in the calligraphic inscription we may also see yet another symbol, now geometric, in the modern letters: JXY which, according to the first chapters of this book, could be read as a reminder that Jesus is also the crucified on the cross, as expressed by the equation of the hypotenuse, Y = X. For, as explained before, and consistently with the notion of the Lamb, the one-toone line, by the protection of His precious blood, becomes the very gate to the Kingdom of God. The holograms uncovered the existence of dark points around the face and body of the crucified that did not register in the rendered 3D image of the shroud. After study and further collaboration, it was concluded that such spots corresponded to little flowers lovingly placed upside down and without stems by those taking care of the body. Curiously, Dr. Soons reported that such were 256 flowers, like daisies or bellis perennis in Latin, that is and quite appropriately, perennial beauty that covered the body. As the number of flowers is precisely 2 to the power 8, we may argue that, based on the associations herein, the exponent makes also beautiful sense. After all, and as explained in note 27 of Chapter II, God s covenant through Jesus Christ is number 8 and such, if accepted, yields such a number rotated, that is,. But there is even more, for the Alpha and Omega that characterize Our Savior happen to be harmoniously translated from Greek into numbers as the toll-free prefix 1-800, and for the sum of the numbers cor-
180 The Fig Tree & the Bell responding to the letters of the name that is above every name (Phil 2:9), once again in Greek, Iησouσ, or Iota eta sigma omicron upsilon sigma, gives: Iησouσ = 10 + 8 + 200 + 70 + 400 + 200 = 888, or three vertical infinities that complement the two infinities that may be seen, with due imagination, in 800, one vertical and one horizontal. For Jesus is the beginning and the end (Rv 22:13) and for His Kingdom is everlasting, as affirmed, for instance, in the Nicene Creed found in note 22 of Chapter III. The holograms confirmed the correct anatomical presence of marks caused by dumbbells (what an accurate name), leather ropes, and whips, as well as the lance that pierced Jesus (Jn 19:34). Dr. Soons explained why such were truly impossible to draw accurately by painting on a cloth and went ahead to affirm that the crucified was struck 110 times and indeed suffered rigor mortis. Based on the associations herein, perhaps they should be 111, as in 888/8, for the three ones represents a repetitive reminder of Jesus unity, uniqueness, and infinitude, and in contraposition with the famous 666 ascribed to the antichrist to come. 24,25 In the days following the intriguing presentation by Dr. Soons, we found additional geometric symbols in the face of the crucified:
Carlos E. Puente 181 As seen on the image, there stands out a thick white parabola between the mouth and the beard, one that Dr. Soons explained was made up by fluids emanating from the lungs after death. While studying such a symmetric parabola (and remembering that Jesus spoke like such, in parables or parabolas!) we may realize that such has an excessive slope on both sides, one that corresponds, as explained in chapter II, to a logistic that, by repelling the origin, produces disobedient dynamics that are coherently cursed. It happens that this deadly parabola is clearly less vertical than horizontal, and when such a quotient is computed we find, perhaps not surprisingly by now, the diabolic ratio of the defeated enemy 2/3 =0.666..., who is also reflected in the crown of thorns encompassing our own negative and selfish choices that generate turbulence, chaos, power laws and, in general, our lack of peace. If we look carefully, under the white parabola there happen to be yet more symbols. With a bit of imagination, in such an outline, and taking into account the change in curvature towards the roundish ends of the thick parabola, we may recognize either a capital letter Ω or the silhouette of a symbolic bell curve: But there is even more. If one considers the black ellipse under the chin, with it one may complete a tri-dimensional bell as seen from below, and in its surface, to the left, we may discern an inscription that appears to be a number 4 (with a long vertical stroke) but also a capital letter alpha, that yields remarkably, and once again, an unexpected connection with the one and only, our Lord Jesus Christ.