0:00 Clouds and a first harvest of berries 5:42 The fish are alive 6:35 More rain on the way 8:48 Makeing an outdoor table 25:10 The last apples 27:14 Finishing the table 31:06: Ant problem 32:23 Closing reflection
Text of the reflection: In the parish, someone asked me why the Christian God was the right one if there are so many to choose from. That is a valid question. In fact it is sometimes claimed that throughout history there have been some 3000 gods. I don't know how one would arrive at this number but lets grant it. How would you know which god was the real god. How would you even give all of these gods a fair shake? The truth is, you don't have to. The large number is hiding a very simple fact: namely, that there are not 3000 but only 3 basic religious conceptions. The first is polytheism. In fact polytheism is responsible for almost all of the 3000 gods that you find on a list of deities. And what is more they typically do not compete with each other. That is both true for the gods among themselves - who happily coexist in their cosmos - and it is true across cultures. Take the God of war. The Greeks called him Ares. The Romans called him Mars. And while the Greeks were not super into him, the Romans much admired Mars and ascribed to him a particular fertility. And if a Roman had visited the Aztecs he could have understood what the deal was with Uītzi-lō-pōtscht-li. The stories surrounding these Gods may have been different, but that wasn't seen as an obstacle. Myths never were history but another type of truth. So you would have had difficulty to find a Greek debating a Roman on whether the Sky God was Zeus or Jupiter. They were understood to be the same - just clothed in different names and heroes of different stories that humans told. For these gods in the end were nothing but the personification of forces of nature and human passions - forces beyond the control and power of man. That is why you entered into a relationship with them, why you sacrificed and worshipped them. You were hoping to find their favour. You were hoping that the uncontrollable would become benign. That is why you prayed to Poseidon. That is why you sacrificed to Neptune or - if you were Maori - you maybe invoked Tanga-Roa when you wanted to cross the sea. The existence of these pagan deities is not a surprise. The ocean, fire and fertile earth all seem to be alive in way. It seems almost natural to personify these forces and try to entreat them to be of service to a community rather than the source of its destruction. It is a common - near universal phenomenon in all cultures and finds an expression in simple rituals and primitive art as much as in complex written epics and systems of thought. But as common as this conception is and as colourful their diverse stories, it is also clear that these deities lack something in explanatory power. They are not the ultimate reason of things. They are proposed as mighty beings but not as being itself. This is where monotheism differs. It provides an ultimate explanation. Its God is singular and it could not be any other way. For the transcendent, the infinite knows no bounds. If there were two - one would be the limit of the other and they would both fail to be any more than just two beings. Being itself however must be one. There are two kinds of monotheism however. For one there is pantheism which merges everything that exists into god. It is a monism. It states: all is one - in an unqualified sense. There are more traditional, more esoteric and more philosophical notions of this view and there are a number of problems with them - among them maybe most notably the problem of evil. For if God is all - and all is God there is nowhere, for example - to put Stalin or Hitler - in contradistinction to God. National-socialism is just as much an embodiment and expression of the divine as is Mother Teresa. One may attempt a Hegelian solution but few would find this satisfying. The other kind of monotheism is transcendent monotheism, which would affirm that God is in all things through his power, but nevertheless sharply distinguishes the creator and the created. Its God is the source of all that is without being one with all and without being one among many things - even if that thing was said to be the highest or greatest thing. This God is different because he is not part of the universe but its source, its creator, its sustainer, its end. There are two paths to this kind of monotheism: reason and revelation. Greek philosophers have at their heights speculated or even demonstrated the existence of this God - the one, the cause of all causes, the unmoved mover. And then there was a peculiar middle eastern tribe that in the most obstinate way - resisting assimilation even during centuries of suffering, occupation, exile and diaspora - that claimed that this one God had taken this tribe as his people so as to make it a blessing unto all nations. That is some claim. And yet it is the source of Judaism and then Christianity, which understands itself precisely as the extension of the call to all nations to become part of the once small tribe of the chosen people. Christianity has its currents and sects. There are later religions, such as Islam, that claim to restore what Jews and Christians had corrupted from the message of the One. There are in turn offshoots of Islam that base themselves on a supposed prophet or revelation which changed the teaching on the one. But almost all monotheistic religions that do not derive from the quest of reason and philosophy have their roots in Abraham and his call to follow the one God. Lastly and the third type of religious conception derives primarily from human thought. It may be a system of ethics such as Confucianism or a practical philosophical system such Taoism or Buddhism. They are different because they do not necessarily posit the existence of a God or of Gods, though in the course of history theses systems have often merged with surrounding religions to form a syncretist version that may include the more ancient local deities and demons, such as in Tibetan Lamaism or variants of pantheism. At their source is a founder said to be graced with an illumination or and insight into how the world really works. This illumination may seek to address a fundamental human question such as suffering and propose a technique and system to overcome it. It may draw on wider ideas or even aesthetics. It may take the circle and the ever present change or birth and decay observed in nature to formulate doctrines such as reincarnation. But it is fundamentally a human human endeavor and system that is to guide the knowledge and action of man. These, are more or less, the three basic systems of religious thought. The pagan gods are very common and very understandable but they bear their title as gods in a very different way from the transcendent monotheistic God - be he a postulate of reason or revelation - who is “being itself”, who gave his name in the burning bush as “I am who am”, the source of all, the good of all, the end of all - but not the pantheistic all in all. The human systems thirdly - and more so in their purer unmixed forms - may encapsulate wisdom through observation and human experience or particular fancies of their founders. And yet in practice they also include ideas that were transposed from a particular cultural context. Religions are therefore not all the same - as people sometimes claim. But there are also not 3000 different ones as others insists. There schools of thought, main branches. And even if one of them is indeed true, as I would insist as a catholic priest, it would not follow that all the others were wrong in every respect or in the same way. Ok. But this not answer the question with which this query started. It does not. But maybe it provides a starting point for a more fruitful exploration of different arguments.
@donjojohanes why do you need god ? you seem to be very smart person and as such i cant see why u believe in something that have no proffs of .. i have one friend who is like you religious but on the other hand study Physics ... dont get it ... are you afraid of death and want to believe that there is life after this one? is that the reason? is it that simple?... im a hard core atheist but i m really not disrespecting religion in any way..i like to discus religion with people like you ... ps why call other religion pagan?...for me Catholicism is more pagan than many other religions...
@@yasemeen Hi, thanks for your question. I would respond that your question implies something foreign to my concept of faith: "need". I don't belief in God because I "get something" out of it or because it fills some need. It may end up doing so, but it is not the origin or reason of my belief. I would remain convinced of monotheism and acts of religion (such as worship) even if there was no heaven or redemption) but just this world. For religion fundamentally describes the relation between the creature and the creator, the finite and the infinite, "a being" and being itself. I believe in God because I hold it to be reasonable to do so (based on arguments and experience). I believe in the Christian God for more specific arguments and experiences. "Belief" does not imply irrationality or uncertainty in this context, but trust and loyalty that are relational terms presupposing the conviction of God's existence and particular tenets that are associated with it. As for the word "pagan": it is not meant to convey anything other than the early Christian use, but I realize that it might not be a neutral term. So use "polytheism" instead, if you prefer, but include also other forms of animist, shamanist and nature religions - which I guess I lumped together in a simplified way by the weighted classical expression "pagan" (different from 19th and 20th century "neo-paganism" which is mostly a selective hybrid of various pre-Christian traditions in opposition to Christianity).
Here is the beginning of his book « La métaphysique orientale »: METAPHYSICS ORIENTAL « I took oriental metaphysics as the subject of this presentation; perhaps it would have been better to simply say metaphysics without an epithet, because, in truth, pure metaphysics being in essence outside and beyond all forms and all contingencies, is neither Eastern nor Western, it is universal. It is only the external forms with which it is clothed for the purposes of an exhibition, to express what is expressible, it is these forms which can be either Eastern or Western; but, beneath their diversity, it is an identical background which is found everywhere and always, wherever at least there is true metaphysics, and this for the simple reason that truth is one. If this is so, why speak more specifically of oriental metaphysics? This is because, in the intellectual conditions in which the Western world currently finds itself, metaphysics is something forgotten, ignored in general, lost almost entirely, while in the East, it is still the object of effective knowledge. . If we want to know what metaphysics is, we must therefore turn to the East; and, even if we want to find something of the ancient metaphysical traditions which may have existed in the West, in a West which, in many respects, was then singularly closer to the East than it is today. today, it is above all with the help of Eastern doctrines and by comparison with them that we can achieve this, because these doctrines are the only ones which, in [6] this metaphysical domain, can still be studied directly . However, for this, it is quite obvious that we must study them as the Orientals themselves do, and not by indulging in more or less hypothetical and sometimes completely fanciful interpretations; we too often forget that oriental civilizations still exist and that they still have qualified representatives, from whom it would be enough to inquire to truly know what they are about. » Translated with Google…
@@donjojohannes i always find your video's very insightful, and i really appreciate that you are just trying to be a decent human being that wants to share his thoughts, insights and experiences so it may help others but never take a position of being someone who knows it all. As for your ending conclusion, the thing i always find interesting with religion is how a bit of everything is in every religion, even the Jews believed in multiple Gods at one point and faint traces of that can still be found in the Bible. Looking through time, it always strikes me how ever changing religion is. Hence it always irks me when people present their interpretation of religion as the final truth. I have this hunch their descendants might disagree with them... To come back to what i wrote earlier and not tie you to the screen for longer with a ridiculously long comment: this is why i respect how you believe and talk about religion. With faith, but no pretence of ultimate knowledge.
As ever wonderful. I ask again, please continue, time permitting, it would be lovely for us to have a monthly video from yourself, with the period of reflection / thought, to round it all off with, which I enjoy every bit as the path that leads to it.
I so look forward to your videos, I find them calming almost meditative and truly good for the soul. Your filming of nature from clouds, to mountains, mist, rain, plants and God's little creatures is truly beautiful and your abilities to create beautiful things from raw materials never ceases to amaze me, your table looks fantastic and oh what an improvement you've made by replacing the wooden planks of your fence with the wire to reveal such a beautiful view. Thank you for your videos, Father Johannes, I look forward to them every week. May God continue to bless you.
Thank you, Father Johannes, for taking the time to make this inspiring series! Like many others, I look forward to your videos and each message. Wishing you much joy
Like other beautiful content creators but more. Much more… More than building buildings and raising chickens. You’re gifting the viewer with something to build an eternity on. A calling. I hope you will extend this series. I appreciate the effort it takes for you to do these videos. It’s not taken for granted… Laura 🌻
I am deeply grateful for your closing reflection today, and for sharing your beautiful videos with us. As a Pagan Minister, these are the types of ruminations running through my mind as I try to figure out how to describe the human history of religion and in doing so, find guidance and understanding in studying the many ways to think of the Divine Spirit animating us all. Bright blessing to you Johannes.
Thank you for the calming gift your videos provide. I find myself watching them over and over. You have achieved the perfect balance of nature, humor and spiritual reflection.
Regarding the table.....19:56 "There was an easy way to the top, but I felt fancy"!!!!!❤❤❤ The table turned out GORGEOUS!!! The entire area where the table is, is very practical, AND beautiful. Your videos are calming, inspiring, and informative. Thank you for all you do to make them and post them!!!
...thank you Johannes... I get more and more into your world, and I like how you present and film it! 2 comments: 1) I LOVE your pond... its so simple and beautiful... and I love your long still shots, which allow to catch the subtle movements of water boatmen and likes, as well as inner life of the pond bubbling up.... 2) your ponderings on 'What (or who) is God', based on your studies, and I'm sure, your own experiences and conclusions... there's a lot of striving in me, an ongoing journey of deepening and understanding, what that source is that brought me here... to put it to chance or accident, is out of considerations for me... so, I do love to listen to you there, determined enquiry, combined with openness to always learn and understand more and deeper is the way for me, until a door opens, that might change the game... 💖
I loved your video. Showing nature, hearing all the birds, and bugs. Intrigued by your green house and garden and the things you grow. Love the food for thought at the end. And also how you made your table. You have a lovely warm voice to listen to. And I like the pacing of your video as well. Bless you Johannes!
God has blessed you with so many gifts, Father. It is good to see you put them to use for His greater glory. Thanks for another edifying video. Pax Christi
Als Musikerin danke ich für die viele Stille. Für die Naturlaute und die Arbeitsgeräusche. Für die sphärischen, zarten Klänge hinter der Reflexion. Habe über Martijn hierher gefunden und bin beglückt. Danke für die Berge und die Sicht in die Unendlichkeit da oben, die ich als heimwehkranke Auslandssteirerin schon lange nicht mehr erlebt habe. Ich rieche die Almwiesen, die Steine, die Feuchtigkeit, die Glyzinie, die Clematis. Danke. Bitte weiter so. ❤🩹
Sorry … we meant to write … ‘we very much appreciate your videos and your reflections Thank you for sharing them with us ‘ 🌺 Lezette & Peter (Australia)
Thanks for sharing. I have been looking for this, it's very difficult to find people who are doing it instead of talking about it. Very inspiring! Deeply grateful, Ana
Father Johannes I enjoy your paradise on the wild mountains of Alpes. I admire you, your faith and your talents. . Also the calm of your voice is awesome...(an Orthodox viewer from Greece).
Yikes, swarming INSIDE the house, argh! We have big bumbling black ants in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California--basically ants who eat the wood of your house, eventually sprout wings, and swarm. Glad you are on the problem. And Tolkien would be most interested to hear you say that "Myths never were history but another type of truth." This is a HUGE point. Thanks for making it. God and Mary to you, Don Johannes!
Beautiful, really beautiful! Filming the clouds, insects, fish, plants and flowers. All the wonders and beauty of nature. So real! The making of the table was also filmed in such a way that we had to keep watching to see what the result would be! Fantastic! This kind of filming opens my mind and stops all the busy chatter of my thoughts until, at the end, so much of your thoughts appear….
Yes blessings to you Johannes. Your table is beautiful and your pond is my favorite part of your home. We have a pond too and mountain view where we live in California. Thank you for sharing the beauty of His creation and your wise and thoughtful messages!
Wow, the Great Cosmic Mother and Nature are really outdoing themselves around your hermitage. The birdsong, the greenery, bug life are so beautiful and nourishing. Thank you for another wonderful video.
I didn't realize priests were so physical as well as cerebral. You're a natural at creative content and learning about hillside alpine gardening is making winter here in the southern states less dreary. Wish I could share some cool seeds with you but Rules. Looking forward to more Action shots in July. ❤
A few things this week. I really admired the photography on the wisteria. I will be quoting you on this; "There was an easy way to do this top, but I felt fancy." And, of course, I do enjoy the way you make me think. Thanks so much Father. I will miss this a great deal when the series ends. Can't you reconsider?
Religions especially abrahamic, focuses too much on differences. We Muslims, Jews and Christians must break free from these differences and unite under the same God. We are all believers. It breaks my heart to see what's happening in the Middle East. Brothers and sisters killing each other in most horrific ways. I pray the bloodshed stops and people unite in the name of God.
If a christian means a student of Jesus Christ, you are really great student - excellent carpenter! :) Thank you for great ending reflection, we talked with my mum yesterday about this, but it was before I saw this video. I will show her it today. Thank you for amazing landscapes you show us. I have an opportunity to see it on 65 inch TV, I feel like I was there. And I'm a bit sad we are in the middle of the One year project... I hope you will find some time to show us some new videos in the future. Have a great day, Donjojohannes.
Thank You, Johannes, for another magnificent video. The table you created is gorgeous, along with all the captures of Nature. And, your words at the end are always so insightful.❤
Pray devoutly the Holy Rosary everyday and enjoy the gifts from Almighty God. Pray for us Our Lady and lead us closer to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Thank you Fr. Johannes your thoughts are very deep. Your table is a masterpiece. You are very talented and give everything to God. Your videos are thought provoking. God bless you 🙏
Dear Johannes I found your closing reflection so interesting and informative that it engrossed me to the point that I had to ignore the beautiful images of the video. Thank you for your continued sharing of reflections
You are simply an incredible human being. Thank you for the inspiring videos. I love your peaceful existence. Your voice is so soothing, I'm so glad you are sharing your life❣️
Thank you for your clear explanation of the main different belief systems. It has helped me to understand clearer where i stand in the theological / philosofical / world view context.
Enjoy your serie immensely. The changing of the seasons, the close ups of the plants and the pond, the birds, it is Al beautiful. Please continue, but if you stop after this serie, thanks.
Please have that lump on your left wrist looked at if you haven’t already…love your videos…table reminded me of a cross with wrays coming out! God bless you!
Re the lump: don't worry, I think it is a common sort of "hernia" of the membrane holding the sinovial fluid which lubricates the joint, in this case, the wrist. I've seen such a bubble before, not unusual: benign, and a nuisance, but not painful or disabling, I think, unless it becomes too large and starts catching on things. Fr. Johannes probably regards it as St. Francis of Assisi would--"Oh, Brother Wrist, I would be proud of you but I can't..."
Thank you Father! Your videos have been very inspiring and I do hope that you will be able to continue them. I so admire your faith and humility and love that you are as comfortable with a hammer or a rake as a chalice and rosary. Your subtle witness is powerful.
Hi Johannes, 😊 Blessed Sunday To You!! 💖 June 2023 I Loved how You showed Us All Your Berries you Pick!! Your Dirt has Good Nutritions to have So Many!! You didn`t Name the Lizard or the Orange Bee? Loved hearing about the Bees, Fish, & Flowers!! Building the Table for Outside was Unique & Beautiful!!💞 As for the Brown/Black Carpenter Ants on Your Roof & Finding the Nest, Great & Pray No More Come!! As for Us, we Get Carpenter Ants Outside, if You See them on a Tree Trunk, Means our tree is Sick & Will Die Soon!! Bless You, for Sneezing!!🤧 Closing Reflection : Listening to You about the Truth of Gods, was Great!!💯 Have a Wonderful Evening & All Next Week, till next Sunday!!❤ Love Barb from Central Illinois USA❣
This and every day... during my gratitude MsTree thanks God for human beings like you. In the Love of Our Father, we don't need to see you In Person... we are grateful for the WHO IS YOUR BEING. ❤
There is a verse from the Bhagavad Gita…. In any way that men love me, in that way they find me, for many are the paths of men, but in the end they all end in Me. There are and have always been many names for the divine; you could call them cultural reachings out to understand the beyond understanding; but my dear brother, they all reach to the Divine Creator…as you will find when you leave this world and go home. Your spirit, sitting quietly within you, knows this and also knows this truth: it really doesn’t matter which faith you choose to follow, or even if you not to follow any: it’s what you do that counts. Love, compassion, tolerance, kindness forgiveness and gentleness in themselves bring wisdom and peace.
I just recently subscribed to your channel and truly enjoying, learning, discerning your wonderful gift to us of reflections. May you be most richly blest
Loved the closeup shots of berries, buzzing bees and other insects, and the growing complexity of your pond... all accompanied by gentle bird song. The insect activity was particularly enjoyed by my cat, who came and sat at the edge of my laptop to get a better look... I played those parts several times just for her. And the table is beautiful... and so fancy! 🙂 Sorry to hear about your ant infestation - hope they prove to be under control. I know ants have their place... just not in the house, please.
I had to laugh..................I never thought of a Priest feeling fancy. But you did do a fancy job on the table. I have a good sense of humor. No disrespect intended at all. Enjoy your videos very much. Thank you for taking the time to inspire all of us.
These videos are SO great! Love the shots of the small creatures and insects..those are some of God's creations that are often overlooked in day to day life..love the plants and flowers, too. Question, where does one get tools and supplies there in your remote area, order them online, or there a "Casa Deposito" in town down in the valley?
I’m a little late viewing your video this week. Did you know that by cooking up those apple skins and cores with some sugar, water and a bit of lemon you can also get a jar of apple jelly? It’s gorgeous spread on buttered toast. 🇦🇺
Thank you for another reflective and beautiful video. I had to chuckle when you were building the table when you said there was an easy way to do the top, but you were feeling fancy. 😅
Dear Father Joannes, Thank you for another well developed and enjoyable piece. Regarding the number of Gods or Religions, I remember that the great Sage and Saint Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa was asked this once, and he said "....The mother cooks different dishes to suit the stomachs of her different children. Suppose she has five children. If there is a fish to cook, she prepares various dishes from it-pilau, pickled fish, fried fish, and so onto suit their different tastes and powers of digestion.....". Gospel Of Shri Ramakrishna by "M".
I really enjoy your video’s, when making the applesauce don’t flip the pots, it is not necessary and it has something to do with the stuf in the lid’s that you shouldn’t do it. Please don’t stop filming😉 al the best for you!
