1.Maccabees -food for the soul

As a writer, you have the empowerment on how the words are received by an audience. You can promote anger or you can give the audience a reason to hang on to hope and love. As I am doing research on my journey of "The Monastic Diet", I have came across a lot of information. Sometimes information can make you angry, instill doubts or take you through a waterfall of flowing rainbows, with every color you want to experience. 1 Maccabees, has "all the above", however, just as I am ready to jump into the pages and kick me some gentiles and King Antiochus Epiphanes butt, ancient dessert father Mattathias, jumps right in front of me and say: we won that battle, however, I hear that another kingdom did not get the memo. Therefore, share my last parting words in your kingdom and remember these two things: The Way to Love and The Way of Return. Here's the message, kingdom:

1Maccabees:49-64: When the time came for Mattathias to die, he said to his sons: "Arrogance and scorn have now grown strong; it is a time of disaster and violent anger. Therefore, my sons, be zealous for the law and give your lives for the covenant of our fathers.
Remember the deed that our fathers did in their times
and you shall win great glory and an everlasting name.
Was not Abraham found faithful in trail,
and it was reputed to him as uprightness!
Joseph, when in distress, kept the commandment,
and he became master of Egypt.
Phinehas our father, for his burning zeal,
received the covenant of an everlasting priesthood.
Joshua, for executing his commission,
became a judge in Israel.
Caleb, for bearing witness before the assembly,
received an inheritance in the land.
David, for his piety,
received as a heritage a throne of
everlasting royalty.
Elijah, for his burning zeal for the law,
was taken up to heaven.
Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael, for their faith,
were saved from the fire.
Daniel, for his innocence,
was delivered from the jaws of lions.
And so, consider this from generation to generation,
that none who hope in him shall fail in strength.
Do not fear the words of a sinful man,
for his glory ends in corruption and worms.
Today he is exalted, and tomorrow he
is not to be found,
because he has returned to his dust,
and his schemes have perished.
Children! be courageous and strong in keeping the law,
for by it you shall be glorified.

Now there were a few verses afterward, however, you remember earlier I wanted to jump in the pages and kick some "gentiles" butts! Well today, we are those gentiles, and that battle was won  by Jesus Christ. Apparently, part of that Monastic Diet was once a Middle-East or Asian way of life, has now washed upon the European and Americas shores. Jesus circle of friends, the twelve apostles and the seventy missionary's have accomplished their great commission and delivered the gospel, "the good news" throughout the four corners of the world. All we have to do is hold onto our faith, continue to spread the good news, because the Messiah is coming.