Anna Marie tickled me one morning, saying, “Get up, sleepy-head. It is time for breakfast, and then we are off to help Sister Agnes Louise with her garden chores.”
So, I arose and dressed quickly in khaki shorts and a tee shirt. Sister and I went to breakfast and helped wash the dishes before leaving. I enjoyed playing in the soapy water, which reminded me of our bath time.
We caught the 10 am bus to old San Juan. Sister Anna Marie and I would try to sneak up on Sister Agnes Louise as quietly as possible whenever we arrived at the convent. But she always caught us, and the three of us would have a good laugh.
The Third Lesson
Our lessons would be given in the convent’s rose garden if the sun shone.
This morning, she began, “Christianity was adopted and practised independently in different areas of the Levant, and so was not a unified spiritual practice. There were other emerging sects practising Christianity under different rules.
It was rare for Sister Agnes Louise to quote directly from Gabriel’s Codex.
She said, “The first part contains a first-hand account of Our Lord’s life during his three years of teaching. The second part records the Higher Teachings that Christ revealed to Gabriel and Miriam. The last part concerns the insights of Gabriel himself.
“What happened to Gabriel after he gave the first guardian his codex is unknown. Where he is, none seem to know. What is known is that new pages have appeared in the codex over the centuries.
“There is one explanation in the first part of the codex. If one looks, one finds a conversation between Jesus and Gabriel in which Jesus asks Gabriel to remain on Earth until the Return of Ariel and Himself.”
Gabriel wrote, “I shall gladly live on Earth until such a time. But, if Ariel, the Holy Spirit, consoles me, I shall do as you request. But I shall miss you terribly.”
“So, it appears Gabriel lives still and appears to record more of his contemplations in his codex.
Sister Agnes Louise continued, “Children, today, I shall speak about an ancient book containing Christ’s Teachings. This Gospel is known as the Gospel According to the Hebrews. It is very enlightening.
“One group of Christ’s followers near Nazareth continued to abide by many of the rules for suitable living prescribed to by the Pharisees while accepting Christ as the Messiah, the Anointed One. They recorded much of the Oral Teachings of Jesus. Portions of early Matthew are known as The Gospel According to the Hebrews. Some scholars believe this Gospel is an earlier version of Matthew.
“Most interestingly, this group of early Christians related Jesus considered the Holy Spirit feminine. You see that this is accurate, as shown by the Jesus Codex of Gabriel.
“Unfortunately, many sects of Christianity misrepresented Jesus’ teachings about the equality and importance of females. Gabriel writes Jesus would refer to the two genders as a two-pan scale. The two pans of the scale must always be in perfect balance so Creation accomplishes a viable end state.
“Rather than accept the Master’s teachings of the egalitarianism of the sexes, they continued their traditional, male-dominated social structures, placing females below males. Such domination and disrespect of the female gender are contrary to the Divine and the physical world’s very nature.
“For instance, the Christian Churches teach, secondary to a vote taken by male bishops in the 4th century, that God is of one essence but is experienced as three male personalities. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Subsequently, the male existed before the female. Judeo-Christian dogma states that females were created from a rib of Adam. This is contrary to the gender present in the natural world.”
I interrupted, “But, Sister, I respect both of you and listen to your wisdom. And I love Sister Anna Marie more than anyone in the entire universe. In fact, I want to marry her when I am all grown up.”
Both Sisters had to suppress smiling.
Sister Anna Marie said, “Sweetheart, but I will be too old for you when you become a man. Plus, nuns are married to the Holy Father.”
I replied, “Don’t worry, Sister Anna Marie. I will ask the Holy Father to make you young again. Anyway, you cannot be married to your father. I think it is a rule? I am sure God has a Holy Wife, so He cannot marry nuns.”
Sister Anna Marie replied, “OK, my little warrior angel. We will ask Holy Mother and Holy Father to be married in Heaven and be together forever when we are grown up. Would you like that?”
“Yes, I would like that very much. I won’t allow anyone to be mean to you, Anna Marie. Will we be angels, then? Will you make babies like my mother?”
Sister Agnes Louise turned to a glowing Anna Marie, “Your charge seems to understand the relationship you two share. And, just think, he already sees that the male Trinity must not be accurate. He has intuited the concept of gender. I think his vessel will remember many things from the past.”
Sister Anna Marie nodded her assent.