Eat, Drink & Be Mary: A Glimpse into a Life Well Lived

Product Information

What good has it done me if, [merely] from a human point of view, I fought with wild animals at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised [at all], LET US EAT AND DRINK [enjoying ourselves now], FOR TOMORROW WE DIE. Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them."- Ecclesiastes 9:11-12

I have fought with beasts at Ephesus.--The question here arises, Are these words to be taken literally or figuratively? Does St. Paul refer to some actual contest in the arena with beasts, or to his conflict with the opponents at Ephesus, whom he thus designates beasts? It is scarcely possible to accept the former interpretation. There is no mention to be found of it in the Acts, and, moreover, his Roman citizenship would have legally protected him against such treatment. We must therefore conclude that the Ephesians themselves are spoken of as "beasts." Both Hebrew and Greek literature would have made such a form of expression familiar to the Apostle and to his readers. In the Psalms (see Psalm 22:12-13; Psalm 22:20-21) the opponents of God are similarly spoken of. The Cretans are called "evil beasts" by the poet Epimenides, whom St. Paul quotes in Titus 1:12. Heraclitus calls the Ephesians "beasts"--the same word as St. Paul uses here; and St. Ignatius ( Epis. ad Rom.) speaks of "fighting with beasts by land and sea," and having been bound to 'ten leopards,' that is a band of soldiers." The Greek philosopher Epicurus promoted the philosophy of living life to its fullest extent. In his philosophy, the path to true happiness lay in the pursuit of pleasure. The English idiom “eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may die.” is often ascribed to Epicurus. But he was a significant philosopher, with other things to say, and his comments on eating and drinking meant nothing more exciting than that those things would do no harm. Strong's 2749: To lie, recline, be placed, be laid, set, specially appointed, destined. Middle voice of a primary verb; to lie outstretched. Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, as a current example, is an attempt to return Russia to the former Empire status of pre-1991, when the dissolution of the Soviet Union was in the process of internal disintegration. This resulted in the ending of the country’s, and federal government’s existence as a sovereign state, leading to its’ constituent republics, such as Ukraine and the Baltic States, gaining full sovereignty. Is this history being repeated, and God’s word perverted and ignored yet again?

If according to man I fought wild beasts in Ephesus, what is the profit to me? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and let us drink, for tomorrow we die."

Blog Archive

What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” The concept of enjoying earthly life as much as possible because there’s nothing after death is unbiblical. The Bible is clear that there is an eternal spiritual existence after corporeal death, and that existence includes judgment for all (Hebrews 9:27). Those who have been made righteous by faith in Christ will experience eternal life in heaven, but those who reject Christ as Savior will be sent to eternal punishment in hell (Matthew 25:46). If I have fought with wild animals in Ephesus from merely human motives, what do I get out of it? If the dead are not raised, "Let's eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast abundance of goods laid up for many years; take thy ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

As it turns out, moving through the world in this way is ending up to be a huge relief. It takes the sour edge off everything. It restores me to my heart. Yes, I was “needy,” you might say. But what was that all about? I needed what everyone else needs: love and guidance. And these things and more are what I didn’t get enough of in my formative years, leading me to always be seeking them.Then I'll say to myself, 'You have stored up enough good things to last for years to come. Live it up! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.'" I perceived that there is nothing better for [human beings] than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil — this is God’s gift to man." - Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 As I see it, working with Mary on our human selves this way is part of the work of becoming the Christ-Sophia within, activating the Divine Light as a way of being. Toward that end, on Saturday, December 18, I’ll also be offering an online Sacred Cacao Ceremony in which we call upon Mother Mary, facilitated by the gentle mind- and heart-opening plant spirit known as Ix Cacao, to help us all experience that Inner Light more brightly. The ceremony is the perfect accompaniment to the Winter Solstice, the time of year in the Global North that is all about the seeding of the light. If you’d like to experience it in an easy way in community, however, I invite you to join us for our Monthly Mother Mary Love & Empowerments Circle on Thursday, December 15, where I’ll lead you through the process of BEING Mary step by step.