Those Angels Called Humans: Where Is God

Copyright © 2014 Jaime V. Altamirano, MD., MPH.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-3985-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-3986-0 (e)

iUniverse rev. date: 07/30/2014

Contents

CHAPTER ONE

WHERE IS GOD?

THE CREATION:

OUR REDEMPTION PLAN:

CHAPTER TWO

JAMES’ GREAT IDEA

OUR INDIVIDUAL REALITY:

CHAPTER THREE

THE TRINITY OF LOVE

JESUS’ TEACHINGS ABOUT LOVE:

THE COMMANDMENT OF LOVE / A TRINITY OF LOVE:

HOW TO JOIN THE BODY OF GOD:

THE TRINITY OF LOVE IN OUR HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS:

CHAPTER FOUR

OUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD:

THE PATH TO OUR SALVATION:

GOD’S FORGIVENESS OUR PRAYERS ASKING GOD’S FORGIVENESS

FROM OUR REDEMPTION TO OUR SALVATION:

CHAPTER FIVE

OUR PRAYER – OUR COMMUNICATION WITH GOD

STATUES, DRAWINGS, AND PICTURES

INTERCESSION OF ONE FOR ANOTHER

CONVERSATION WITH OUR FATHER:

TIPS WHILE PRAYING:

CHAPTER SIX

THE POWER OF THE SERVANT

HOW TO LOVE AND SERVE GOD AND ALL PEOPLE AROUND US?

POWER, LEADERSHIP, AND AUTHORITY

SERVE AND LOVE EVERYONE, EVEN TO THE ENEMIES?

HOW MUCH SHOULD WE GIVE TO GOD?

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE EXISTENCE OF GOD

WE CANNOT DENY THE EXISTENCE OF GOD:

DEFINING GOD:

THE MYSTICAL BODY OF GOD

CHAPTER EIGHT

OUR ROLE IN THIS LIFE; GOD’S ROLE IN OUR LIFE

THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING TO KNOW OUR INTERIOR:

THE IMPORTANCE TO DEFINE THE ULTERIOR OBJECTIVE FOR OUR LIFE:

OUR LIFE IN THIS WORLD AND ITS RELATION WITH OUR ETERNAL LIFE TO COME

MEDITATION, INTROSPECTION AND PROJECTION

LET US DRAW THE PATH FOR OUR LIVES

CHAPTER NINE

GOD’S WILL AND OUR WILL THOSE ANGELS CALLED HUMANS UNDERSTANDING OUR WISHES

GOD’S WILL AND OUR WILL:

THOSE ANGELS CALLED HUMANS

OUR MIND, SOUL AND SPIRIT IS IN CONTROL OF OUR DECISIONS AND OUR ACTIONS

THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR WISHES

UNDERSTANDING OUR WISHES

DECISION-MAKING

OUR THREE BEST WISHES

CHAPTER TEN

THE UNIVERSALCHURCH OF GOD

EUCHARISTY, THE CENTER OF ECUMENISM AMONG ALL RELIGIONS

THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH OF GOD

DEDICATION

I have finished writing this book on the 15th day of September of the year 2009, the day in which I received a special gift from God, the birth of my last son, Christian David Altamirano. I would like to dedicate these writings to my sons James, José, and Christian David Altamirano; to my adopted sons Johan Sebastian and Daniel Ortiz; to my Wife Alba Yaneth Altamirano Sotelo; and a special dedication to my parents Jose Antonio Altamirano and Maria Luisa Leon de Altamirano, to whom I give credit for those thoughts based on their teachings, during my early years of life. My parents Tio Tucos y Mama Luchita always had words of love and wisdom, directing my steps while impregnating in my heart concepts and values like the true meaning of love. Therefore, I could say, this book is a small fruit from the seeds they planted.

During the thinking, writing, and reviewing process of this book, I repeatedly asked God for these ideas to one day become light and guidance to whom, with open heart and humble attitude, may seek the true path toward God. Therefore, in His name, I would like to dedicate this book to everyone who is willing to invest his or her time to read and search for better ways of conceptualizing God, defining and maintaining a close relationship with Him, and directing their steps toward one day, reaching the glory of God.

With sincere love in Christ.

Jaime V. Altamirano León, MD, MPH

REVIEW

In December 1993, the first version of this book was submitted for review and critique by Dr. Antonio Castro Guerrero, Doctor in Theology, and Professor of Philosophy and Literature at the University of Loja - Ecuador.

In July 1994, Dr. Antonio Castro Guerrero submitted his answer with very positive comments. Those comments gave me the incentive and encouragement to continue toward the goal of publishing these writings, now more confident that the content could be beneficial, or at least, may bring some light or inspiration to those who may read it.

Attached is the critique letter of Dr. Antonio Castro Guerrero, and in the following page the corresponding translation.

EN DONDE ESTÁ DIOS? (Este fue el nombre original de este libro) ACTO RELIGIOSO.

Esta es una profunda reflexión teológica, escrita con admirable sencillez por el Dr. Jaime Altamirano. Este trabajo de diez capítulos, redactado en un estilo conversacional, perfectamente adecuado a un guion radiofónico, presenta a PAPÁ, padre y jefe de familia, muy versado en el conocimiento de la Biblia y, sobre todo, como un hábil e ingenioso transmisor de la Buena Nueva; un hijo admirablemente entusiasmado por los mensajes de su padre, y una esposa y madre, muy solidaria y co-participante en una relación familiar iluminada por la luz de la Fe.

En síntesis, esta reflexión compartida, e inspirada por el Espíritu de Dios, sin apartarse en lo más mínimo de los dogmas de Fe sostenidos por la Iglesia Católica, la Iglesia fundada por Cristo, nos da un riquísimo mensaje de afirmación evangélica para compartirlo en familia y que hace más viva la tarea santificante de la Iglesia en el ejercicio de su ministerio de salvación.

Dr. Antonio Castro Guerrero.

TRANSLATED LETTER:

WHERE IS GOD? (This was the original title of this book)

Religious Act.

These are profound theological thoughts written with incredible simplicity by Dr. Jaime Altamirano.

This work of ten chapters presented in a conversational style, perfectly adequate for a radio-talk, presents a DAD, father and head of the family, very knowledgeable of the Bible, and most of all, with a great ability and creativity to transmit God’s good news; a SON, very enthusiastic and open to receive the message and teachings of his father; and a WIFE and mother quite supportive and collaborative; all in a family relationship enlightened by the light of faith.

In summary, this shared reflection inspired by the Spirit of God, without a minimal deviation from the dogmas and beliefs of the Catholic Church, the one founded by Jesus Christ, presents us a very rich message of affirmation of the evangelical teachings, shared in a family context. It brings new life to the evangelization and sanctification goal of the church, in the exercise of its salvation ministries.

Dr. Antonio Castro Guerrero

SECOND REVIEW

Guided by the Spirit of God, and being sensitive to the need of dissemination of these teachings among English-speaking countries, in May 2006 the author started an English translation and content review, which concluded in the present edition. The book adopted the title Those Angels Called Humans, giving special emphasis to a need to open our understanding toward visualizing and conceptualizing ourselves as spiritual beings, so that we can live accordingly.

These writings attempt to encourage us to give the corresponding value and prioritization to the aspects of the eternal life of our spiritual being.

In this edition, Rev. Fabio A. Sotelo was added as co-author, for his valuable input reviewing the content and adding the Bible citations that corresponded to the discussion of some theological issues included in this version.

My son James Steward Altamirano, (now a young adult) also was added as co-author, in recognition to the multiple prolonged discussions about the practical applications of the spiritual issues included in this book.

My wife Alba Yaneth Altamirano was included as co-author, because of the multiple conversations we shared about critical concepts and beliefs discussed in this book.

Ms. Kondria Woods was added as co-author, because of her invaluable input and grammar review to secure easy flow and a clear message.

Mr. Felix Berroa was added as co-author for his artistic collaboration. Guided by the same Spirit, and adhered to the concepts developed in this book, Felix created a collection of paintings that corresponded to the main topics on the different chapters. The collection will also take the name of Those Angels Called Humans

This revision was completed in May 5, 2014.

CHAPTER ONE

WHERE IS GOD?

CREATION - TEMPTATION

•  THE QUESTION; WHERE IS GOD?

•  THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE; CREATION OF MEN.

•  GOD’S PLAN FOR OUR REDEMPTION.

NARRATOR:

Seven-year-old James was playing with his toys near his bed. It was about 11 o’clock in the morning and the sunlight, entering through the window, was reflecting directly over the cross that was hanging on his bed’s frame. The light projected the shadow of the cross on the wall, with bright rays around the shadow. This grabbed the little boy’s attention and inspired him to bend his knees and make the sign of the cross on his forehead; but, then he thought…

JAMES: (Thinking aloud)

Uh-oh, that is only the shadow. God is not there, so I will better kneel in front of my bed’s cross.

NARRATOR:

But James, in front of the cross, thought again . . 

JAMES: (Thinking aloud)

This is also just a wooden cross, and I think God is not there, either… so, where is God? Hmmm, Daddy and Mom told me I should always love God; I should always obey Him, and pray to Him every day. They told me that we should ask Him for all things we need… but I can’t even see him, I don’t really know where he is, I don’t know what he looks like, and I don’t know how to talk to him. But I do know one thing: I know I love God! And I want to pray to Him! And I wish I could see Him!

I’d better ask my Daddy about this.

NARRATOR:

So, James went to find his Daddy. On his way to the living room, he was thinking:

JAMES: (Thinking aloud)

Daddy said, ‘God is especially nice to little kids.’

Oh yes, I need to know where God is.

I would like to see Him, and talk to Him, and ask Him for so many toys and things.

I also would like to play with Baby Jesus!!!!

He could be like… my little brother, and we could play together.

It must be fun to play with Him, because of all the powers that He has.

Last night Mom told me that Jesus’ mother, the Virgin Mary, is the most precious lady in the universe, the most kind and loving mother for all of us… but she is in heaven.

Mom said that Virgin Mary loves all children, and that as our mother in heaven, she would protect us from every danger. Yes! I also would like to see my mother that is in heaven. I would like to talk to her, and ask her to always protect me, too.

Oh, she must be so nice!

I will ask Daddy where is God, where is the Virgin Mary, and how could I talk to them."

Soft instrumental semi-classic music is coming from the living room. Dad usually plays those CDs while he reads or writes, waiting for Mom to set the table for lunch.

NARRATOR:

Dad was already sitting at the end of the dining table, reading the newspaper.

He is a good man, and he likes to help people. He often gives good advice to everyone.

James came running toward the dining room, but he stopped a couple of yards before the door. Then, he walked slowly toward his Dad, as if he was trying to avoid disturbing him.

JAMES:

Daddy, may I interrupt you for a minute? I would like to ask you a question.

NARRATOR:

With a slight smile, Dad patiently folded his newspapers and responded.

DAD:

Yes, my little son, what do you want to know? I’m all ears.

JAMES:

Daddy, I would like to know where our God is, what he looks like, and how can I talk to Him? You know, so I can call Him whenever I need his help. Also, what about Baby Jesus? How can I see Him, and talk to Him? I want to ask Him to play with me.

Oh, and I want to know about Virgin Mary, our mother in heaven. What does she look like… and where is she? How can I talk to her, too?"

NARRATOR:

Dad’s facial expression showed a combination of surprise and confusion, but at the same time, while he heard the questions, he folded his hands in a gesture of acceptance, and even offered a smile of complacency.

DAD:

Good questions, my son. Come here, and sit down, my boy. Actually, I am glad you asked me those questions.

I was once a little boy like you, when I was told about God. I guess, now is the time for me to pass on to you those teachings and mysteries of our faith, which I do believe, and always guide my life.

My son, what you just asked are practically some of the basic fundamentals of our faith, our religion, and our life. It is hard to explain this in a few minutes, or in a few words, but I will try to explain it as simple as possible for you. Pay attention so that you can understand it, and if I say something that you don’t understand, please stop me at any time, and ask. Is that ok?

JAMES:

Yes, Daddy.

NARRATOR:

With anxious eyes, James sat down in front of his father, waiting for his answers.

DAD:

Let’s see, my son, you asked me three main questions. So, let’s take them one at a time.

First question: What does God look like?

My son, you should know that God has no shape as we do, nor does God exist as anything that we can see or imagine in this world. We and the entire universe were created by God, (Gen 1:26) so nothing could be equal to Him… but guided by His own word, we believe that God is a Spirit, and has no physical limits; so we can say that God is infinite.

God also is infinite in time. Therefore, He has no age. This means He always has existed. He doesn’t have a beginning, or an end. HE was not created, nor came from another being; therefore HE is whom HE is (As He told Moses at Mount Sinai) (Exodus 3-14)

God has no limits in his power, no limits in His capacity, no limits in His knowledge, and no limits in His love. Therefore, we say that God is Omnipotent, which means that he has all the power; nothing is impossible for Him.

Now, answering your second question: Where is God? As I just mentioned, my son, God has no limits. Therefore, we should understand that God is everywhere. There is no place where you can hide from Him. Consequently, God must be only ONE. We cannot say that one god extends from here to there, nor that, other god starts there; then neither one would be a true God.

Finally, your third question: How to communicate with God? Again, as I mentioned before, God is an almighty, infinite Spirit. This means that there are no physical barriers for Him, and it doesn’t matter if you are inside of a deep hole under the ground, in a closet, in a dark room, under the bed, in a locked restroom, or under the sheets… God is there. Therefore, wherever you are, HE is always there, listening to you, which means that, wherever you are, you can just talk to Him.

NARRATOR:

James’ facial expressions changed progressively. Initially he appeared to be somewhat disappointed, because he realized it wouldn’t be that simple to see and talk to God, as he expected… Then, he started showing progressive interest, admiration, and more curiosity for what Daddy was telling him about God.

DAD:

Let me tell you something else, my son.

You should always remember that God is inside of you, and in the same way, He is inside of everybody else. That is why we are always reminding you to be kind with the other kids, to respect your brothers, to love your father and mother, to love everybody, and to treat everybody as representatives or carriers of God himself. That includes even your enemies, or those who offended you, and those who apparently are bad persons. OK, my son?

I promise, later on, I will explain you more about this.

NARRATOR:

Dad moved his chair to get closer to his son, trying to establish a closer bond and friendly communication. At the same time, he wanted to establish direct eye contact to ensure enough attention was given to what he was about to say.

DAD:

Now, let’s talk about How to get in touch with God?

This, my son, is a very important question, and what I am going to tell you, I wish you would keep in your mind and in your heart… if possible, for the rest of your life.

A lot of people, even adults, have been asking themselves this same question. Probably, many of them still think that it’s very difficult to talk to God, or to finally get to see him. Many people think that God is too important, or too busy to attend to their small problems, or to high, to have direct contact with small creatures as we are. However, you should know, my son, that they are completely wrong!

Let me tell you something very simple, but at the same time, very important, my son; hoping that these concepts may help you define your relationship with God.

THE CREATION:

Let’s start, my son, from the beginning of times, when God was moving in the darkness, when nothing existed except Him. Now, God, being the Spirit of infinite love, He decided to create the entire universe, and other spiritual beings similar to him, with the capacity to receive and correspond to His love, and He created the angels in heaven, and man on earth, or in the paradise where God was moving around. He wanted to share His love with them… but for their love to be authentic, He gave them free will, or the ability to make free decisions. And so much God loved His creatures that He wanted to give the entire universe to them.

The holy and infinite Spirit of LOVE.

Made us because of LOVE

He made us just to LOVE.

God put inside of us a Spirit similar to His.

He gave us only one mission in life,

The mission to love Him above everything,

And to love each other, the way He loved us.

But, for our LOVE to be genuine,

He gave us capacity to reason, and to have free will,

So that we could freely choose between

Following His LOVE commandment, or rejecting Him.

(Translated from the poem Creation by Jaime V. Altamirano. 2005)

Imagine, my son, a big river of love constantly flowing down from God toward all his creatures.

Imagine that it kept flowing, from the time God created the universe and the first human beings.

Imagine, that through this flow from the Spirit of God to those beings created with a soul and a spirit similar to His, they could directly communicate with God; they could talk to God, and they could see Him.

Imagine that they could even share some of His powers; they were immortals, they could talk to the animals, and they could hear the voice of God calling them.

Now imagine that, one day, tempted by the evil spirit, who talked to the woman using the shape of a serpent, they decided to disobey God on His only commandment. (Gen. 2:3) God had told them they could enjoy every fruit from the trees of the paradise, and be the masters of every animal and plant created; yet they should not take from the fruits from the tree of life.

THE ORIGINAL SIN AND ITS SENTENCE:

As we mentioned, for the love to be genuine, God wanted to give His spiritual creatures free choice to either correspond to the love of God, or reject it. There were those angels who chose against God, and a battle erupted in heaven, sending those angels to the darkness, away from the presence of God. Then, an ongoing battle between good and evil was established; up to our days and until the end of time, and the fallen angels were allowed to make all efforts to tempt or convince those undecided angels called humans to also disobey God.

One of those fallen angels or evil spirits is the one that tempted Eve and our first fathers to disobey. Finally, our first fathers took from the fruits of the tree of life; even worse, they took those fruits, thinking that by eating them, they will become equal or even greater than God (Gen. 3:6).

Of course, God did not approve of the human disobedience, nor their arrogance and vanity. He could not accept being challenged by His own creatures, who were trying to become equal or superior to God himself. So, despite the fact that God loved us so much, we (humans) gained to ourselves the consequences of our fault… what we call the punishment.

Besides the punishment to the serpent, which in this case was representing the evil spirit, God put a closed door, or a barrier, between Himself and the humans. In other words, He put humans away from God’s paradise. He condemned our first fathers and all human descendants to suffer pain, disease, and death. All humans were condemned to work hard on this earth to be able to fulfill their needs, to have something to eat, and to survive in the best way possible (Gen. 3: 14-24).

It is important to clarify that God did not have plans to punish His own creatures, but, we had to suffer the consequences of our actions. God was never taking any revenge, nor did He feel threatened or jealous when humans tried to be equal to Him. It is simply that, the universal creation was established with a perfect order and harmony in mind; and by simply breaking the laws established in the universe, it carried the corresponding consequences, those that we call punishments.

Fortunately, God still loved us so much, (remember that I told you before that His love is infinite) that at the same time that we gained for ourselves a punishment, HE, in His infinite mercy, gave us His forgiveness, and immediately HE designed a plan for our redemption, for the forgiveness of our sins, and for the re-opening of the doors of heaven; in this way, HE opened the possibility of our return to the paradise of our Father (Jhn. 3: 15-17).

OUR REDEMPTION PLAN:

From the beginning, God planned a way to re-establish the union and the communication between Him and His human creatures. So, God told the serpent, (which in this context was representing the evil spirit) a woman will come and will step on your head and you (the serpent, the evil spirit, the sin) won’t be able to bite her at all, not even the edge of her foot (Gen. 14-15). This means that, one specific woman will defeat the evil spirit, and she herself will be free of sin. She will be as white and pure as the snow, she will be full of grace of the Spirit of God (Luke. 1:26), and God planned that, in this woman, God himself will take a human form. In this way, HE will be born on earth among us, and HE will bring His forgiveness, His redemption, and the opportunity of salvation for every one of us. In this way, God wanted to eliminate the distance, or remove the barriers, that were established between God and his human creatures.

God inclined Himself toward us. As we could not go back to heaven or to paradise where God dwells, He came to us, being born on earth as a little baby called Jesus, and when Jesus grew up, He taught us what we needed to do to be able to go back to God’s paradise; then He offered His own life, on the cross, as a sacrifice to redeem all our sins; Then He was buried, and when Jesus-Christ was resurrected, three days after His death, He destroyed the powers of death; Then HE stayed among us a little bit longer, giving us more guidance and leaving with us his Spirit; and