FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY

 

 THE MISSION, THE GULF, AND THE PARADOX OF AMERICAN FAITH

 

Introduction: The Dream vs. The Reality

The ideal of America, inspired by the spiritual vision in Galatians 3:28, is the promise that all people can stand equally as children of God. Like the Franciscans, who stripped themselves of earthly wealth to serve others, the American experiment seeks to balance material prosperity with spiritual freedom. But in reality, this journey is fraught with tension—between renunciation and success, between liberation and captivity, between San Francisco and Alcatraz.

THE MISSION AND THE FRANCISCAN SPIRIT
 

The Franciscan missionaries who came to the New World did more than build churches—they shaped societies. Their commitment to renouncing material wealth allowed them to lift indigenous peoples toward education, dignity, and faith. Like them, America was founded with the idea that by breaking from outward bonds, it could create something new, free, and better.

THE GULF OF AMERICA – A DIVIDE BETWEEN IDEALS AND REALITY 

While the Mission stands, so does Alcatraz. The Gulf of America represents the disconnect between the vision of freedom and its practical challenges. Some reject the notion of true spiritual liberation, returning to the law of sin and death, locked within ideological or systemic prisons. Others cling to the power and material excess of modern civilization, forgetting the Franciscan call to serve in humility.

 

 HOPE IN THE PARADOX – PROSPERITY AS A PATH TO SERVICE 

Yet, this paradox is not a defeat—it is an opportunity. Despite the struggles and divisions, America remains uniquely positioned to uplift others. The material prosperity many Americans enjoy is not an obstacle, but a tool for transformation. It allows those with faith and conviction to improve lives, bridge divides, and advance Christ’s message.

Conclusion: The Ongoing Mission
Just as the Franciscans built missions on the frontier, so too must modern believers and leaders continue to carve out paths for justice, unity, and spiritual renewal. The tension remains, but so does the calling—to ensure that San Francisco represents more than prosperity, and that Alcatraz does not become our defining reality.

THE MISSION
Blue Bonnet

 

 

1 Corinthians 6:19
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”

 

 

 

 

Bluebonnet

 

 

 

 

"Her bonnet, which had been thrown off with the rest of her things, was found by Colonel Brandon, and carefully placed on a chair beside her."~~~Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility 

"WHEN CHRISTIANITY WAS ABOUT TWELVE HUNDRED YEARS old, religious leaders sought a tighter structuring of holy orders, and in 1209 the Italian Francis of Assisi started what became the Franciscans, an order of subtle appeal. It stressed celibacy, poverty, profound devotion and a love of humanity. Its members, like all members of the mendicant orders, were known as friars and they did not live in fixed abodes or monasteries; they traveled endlessly, built missions, performed good deeds, and provided examples of humility."~~~James A. Michener: TEXAS. Ch 2 The Mission

Chess: "The Mission" "Blue Bonnet"

Mayan Wall (The Mission)

The Mission
Muralla Maya 

Psalms 60:1
“(To the chief Musician upon Shushaneduth, Michtam of David, to teach; when he strove with Aramnaharaim and with Aramzobah, when Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the valley of salt twelve thousand.) O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Peacock, they say, did not at first have the beautiful feathers in which he now takes so much pride. These, Juno, whose favorite he was, granted to him one day when he begged her for a train of feathers to distinguish him from the other birds. Then, decked in his finery, gleaming with emerald, gold, purple, and azure, he strutted proudly among the birds. All regarded him with envy. Even the most beautiful pheasant could see that his beauty was surpassed.
Presently the Peacock saw an Eagle soaring high up in the blue sky and felt a desire to fly, as he had been accustomed to do. Lifting his wings he tried to rise from the ground. But the weight of his magnificent train held him down. Instead of flying up to greet the first rays of the morning sun or to bathe in the rosy light among the floating clouds at sunset, he would have to walk the ground more encumbered and oppressed than any common barnyard fowl.

Do not sacrifice your freedom for the sake of pomp and show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chess: "The Mission" "Muralla Maya"

Odin

Odin

The Mission

Salinas

Jar

Angkor Vat

 

Psalm 17:8 

"Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,"

 

 

 

Porphyry jar transformed into an eagle for Abbot Suger 

 

 "That provision should be made for continuing the race of...so exalted...a Being as man--I am far from denying"~~~Sterne

 

 "ONE such time was about the year 3000 BC, when quite suddenly civilisation appeared, not only in Egypt and Mesopotamia but in the Indus valley; another was in the late sixth century BC, when there was not only the miracle of Ionia and Greece - philosophy, science, art, poetry, all reaching a point that wasn't reached again for 2000 years - but also in India a spiritual enlightment that has perhaps never been equalled. Another was round about the year 1 100. It seems to have affected the whole world; but its strongest and most dramatic effect was in Western Europe - where it was most needed. It was like a Russian spring."~~~Kenneth Clark. Civilisation. Ch. 2 The Great Thaw

 

"WHEN CHRISTIANITY WAS ABOUT TWELVE HUNDRED YEARS old, religious leaders sought a tighter structuring of holy orders, and in 1209 the Italian Francis of Assisi started what became the Franciscans, an order of subtle appeal. It stressed celibacy, poverty, profound devotion and a love of humanity. Its members, like all members of the mendicant orders, were known as friars and they did not live in fixed abodes or monasteries; they traveled endlessly, built missions, performed good deeds, and provided examples of humility.

The Franciscans found Mexico a dramatic theater for their operations, and if the Indians of that country escaped formal slavery, it was due in great part to the humanitarian efforts of the Franciscans; if the Indians acquired certain limited blessings of Spanish civilization, it was because brave Franciscans established missions on the remote frontier. They were teachers, hospital attendants, farmers and understanding friends, but primarily they were servants of Jesus Christ."~~~James A. Michener: TEXAS. Ch 2 The Mission

 

Angkor Wat ("City/Capital of Temples") is a temple complex in Cambodia

 

 

 

Chess: "Odin" "The Mission" "Salinas" "Angkor Vat" "Jar"

 

Angkor Wat ("City/Capital of Temples") is a temple complex in Cambodia, located on a site measuring 162.6 hectares (1,626,000 m2; 402 acres).

Most of the visible areas are sandstone blocks, while laterite was used for the outer wall and hidden structural parts.

This sandstone was transported from Mount Kulen, a quarry approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast.

The monument was made of five to ten million sandstone blocks with a maximum weight of 1.5 tons each.

The entire city of Angkor used far greater amounts of stone than all the Egyptian pyramids combined .

The Guinness World Records considers it as the largest religious structure in the world.

Originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire by King Suryavarman II during the 12th century, it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the century; as such, it is also described as a "Hindu-Buddhist" temple.

 

The Mission

The Mission
Apostle
Apóstol
The Last Supper 
Manolete
Celeste
Mythology
Cologne
Colonial
Gulf of Mexico

Prov.69:8
"I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children."

“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp.”  ~~~Robert Browning

Leonardo da Vinci. 1490s (Julian). Tempera, Gesso. Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan

"The Black Legend claims that everything bad which happened in Spanish history was due to the Spanish Catholic church. The phrase seems to have originated from the black cloth worn by Phillip II and his priests."~~~James A. Michener : Texas. Ch1 Land of Many Lands...TASK FORCE

Manolete



Santa Maria delle grazie ("Holy Mary of Grace") is a church and Dominican convent in Milan, northern Italy, included in the UNESCO World Heritage sites list. The church contains the mural of The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, which is in the refectory of the convent.

Chess: "The Mission" "Apostle" "Apóstol " "The Last Supper" "Celeste" "Mythology " "Cologne" "Colonial" "Manolete" "Manuel" "Gulf of Mexico"