Wretched man that I am!

“Wretched man that I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God [who will rescue me] through Jesus Christ our Lord!  So then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin [until I am rescued through faith in Jesus Christ]” (Romans 7:24-25 paraphrased).

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For [having been rescued through faith] the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death [so that you are no longer a slave to the law of sin]” (Romans 8:1-2 paraphrased).

–> Living Faith in a Nutshell

[ Editor's Note:  How marvelous it is to make the transition from Romans 7 to Romans 8.   Try not to get bogged down any longer than necessary playing tug of war in the labyrinth of the egoic mind.  Better to enter into life, here and now!  But if your state of mind is such that you must dwell on it, a rather in-depth discussion of the conflict can be found in this essay:  Flesh and Spirit in Conflict.  God bless you as you continue to look for that which is hidden in plain sight! ]

Light of the World

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life’ ” (John 8:12).

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

“For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light” (Psalm 36:9).

“In him was life, and the life was the light of men . . . the true Light, which lights every man that comes into the world” (John 1:4,9).

“If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another” (I John 1:7).

Are you aware of awareness? Are you walking in the light? Do you lean into this moment? Do you know the living Christ?

Aware presence…  Alert stillness…  Crystal clear…   The realization of this light is, in the words of T.S. Eliot,  here, now, always–a moment of complete simplicity costing not less than everything… 

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

–> The Headship of Christ

One Source… One Act of Vision…

“Until all things become one for you, traced to One source and seen in One act of vision, you cannot find anchorage for the heart, or rest calmly in God.” ~ Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471), Imitation of Christ, I.3.2

–> The Headship of Christ

[ Editor's Note:  The image is borrowed from Headless.Org ]

Everything is Connected…

Everything is connected–Now!

“The present moment is the only aperture through which the soul can pass out of time into eternity, through which grace can pass out of eternity into the soul, and through which love can pass from one soul in time to another soul in time.” ~ Aldous Huxley

–> Now is the Accepted Time

Jesus Is Calling…

“This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalms 118:20-24; cf. John 14:6-7).

This narrow gate is the Conscious, Creative Reality in which we live and move and have our being.  This Reality– here & now –is the Way, the Truth and the Life that is available to all, but almost universally neglected.  Like the prodigal son in the parable, we have left our Father’s house and are foolishly lost in thought.  But Jesus calls to us as follows:

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Simply notice the aware presence or alert stillness that you are (prior to and in between each thought that arises–in the silence between each breath you breathe; in the stillness between each heartbeat).  Consider, in this light, Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 6 to “take no thought”:

• Take no thought for your life… (v.26 KJ 2000)
• Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? (v.27)
• And why take you thought for clothing? (v.28)
• Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or How shall we be clothed? . . . your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (vs.31,32,33)
• Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought of the things for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (v.34)

For those who respond to his call and heed his admonition, he prays:

“As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us . . . The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one” (John 17:21,22,23).

With just a bit of reflection, it soon becomes clear that our sense of separation, along with our idea of a past that must be justified (or redeemed) and a future that must be secured is indeed, a shadowy illusion.  If and when we have had enough of this prodigal adventure, we are always free to turn toward the light and leave the shadows behind us.  We need not fear that we are unworthy–the Father is always alert for our safe return and always pleased to welcome us home (cf. Luke 15:11-24); the light of the world is always on for us–as is obvious to anyone who has the presence of mind to look for his appearing.

–> One Life Divine

Hidden In Plain Sight

This is the sixth in a series of meditations inspired by the doctrine of the Trinity as expressed in paragraph 813 of the The Roman Catholic Catechism which, we have suggested, offers a kind of schematic representation of the REALITY of human existence.  The earlier installments were:

1. Escape To Reality
2. Reality is One
3. Reality is Intelligent
4. The Manifold Appearance of Reality
5. A Body You Have Prepared For Me

As we continue to reflect on this mystery, it must be stressed that the map, articulated here, is not the territory–just as the word “water” is not the substance that quenches our thirst.  All of the above are just words, words, and more words until the Reality toward which they point is seen–the Intelligent Creative Reality in which these words are appearing, here & now.  In the words attributed to St. Francis, “What we are looking for is what is looking.”

As such, the essence of this Reality– insofar as it is accessible to us –is the light of the World that is hidden in plain sight!  It is not a concept to be grasp or a doctrine to confess, but is, rather, the Way, the Truth, and the Life that we ARE– in Christ –in the unity of the  Spirit.  It is the “I Am” presence which animates the whole of our experience.  It is THIS REALITY which can only be realized by forgetting the little “me” and its fictional story-line (full of imaginary hopes and fears; trying to redeem its past and secure its future); and by abiding here and now in the aware presence and alert stillness that binds everyone and everything together– the aware presence and alert stillness that we are –the Conscious, Creative Reality that I Am.

Although hidden in plain sight, this Way is seen by relatively few and seems quite difficult at first:

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

But with just a glimpse of ______________________, a choice appears to open up.

1) We can continue on our separate way, pursuing an illusory vision in which we imagine ourselves, in time, to be securing our good and avoiding our evil  (conceived of as separate and distinct from God, from other human beings, and from the whole of creation).

~ OR ~

2) We we can recognize the light of the World as the narrow gate which has been there all along, but which for any number of reasons has been neglected or rejected:

“This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.  I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalms 118:20-24; cf. John 14:6-7).

–>  Jesus Is Calling…

A Body You Have Prepared For Me

When Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me” (Hebrews 10:5).

The incarnation of God into the manifold unity referred to as the body of Christ ultimately extends to the whole of creation:

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God;  for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Romans 8:18-21).

Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he has purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ (Ephesians 1:9-12 KJ 2000).

And while the texts, above, may appear to relegate the true life and unity of creation to the future (and, per chance, to wishful thinking), their future aspect makes perfect sense when speaking to those who do not feel reconciled to God and who do not realize the union that exists between themselves and the whole of creation.  Indeed, Paul himself indicates that the truth and being of creation, which appears in time to be manifold and subject to decay–  but which we know by faith, to be One in Christ and eternal –is revealed to us, here and now, through the Spirit of God which he describes as the earnest of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:14).  This is the same Spirit which, in the fourth gospel, we are told will guide us into all truth (John 16:13).  Paul elsewhere writes:

“as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him’— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. . . . we have the mind of Christ” (I Corinthians 2:9-12, 16).

And thus having the Spirit of God and the mind of Christ,

“we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal (II Corinthians 4:16-18).

By faith, then, we dwell in the kingdom, here and now, trusting in and relying on this timeless, living REALITY which is always at hand; within us; among us–whatever the future may hold (Matthew 3:2; Luke 17:20-21).

–>  Hidden In Plain Sight

Just As I Am…

“Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.”
~ Charlotte Elliott

–> Lean Into This Moment

He Lives!

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11, KJ 2000).

The true universality of the story of Jesus is borne out by its inner truth and archetypical significance.  Indeed, even the most skeptical among us can confidently proclaim the good news that He lives!   For there is a sense in which the gospel is true even if Jesus of Nazareth had never existed. That is— just as 2 + 2 = 4, whether or not we ever see it WRIT LARGE, so to speak —there is a sense in which it can be said at all times and in all places that:

“[Christ] was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the children of God, even to them that believe on his name: Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:10-13).

The passion of Jesus, as represented in the New Testament, is this universal truth WRIT LARGE.  And while any particular historical or theological detail may be open for debate, it is the purpose and function of the written word to point to the living Word.  And, as we have shown elsewhere, our point of contact with the living Word is the “I Am” presence within us— that Divine presence which is truly universal —the light that lights everyone who comes into the world (John 1:2, 9).  He Lives!

–>  The Gate of the Lord

Pascal

A Myth is a Story…

Sometimes a myth is a story that is true on the inside whether or not it happens to be true on the outside. Whether or not Adam and Eve ever actually existed– and whether or not the gospel accounts are historical in every respect –these traditions ring true inasmuch as they reflect:

1) our innocence in the garden of God (cf. infancy and early childhood)
2) our eating the forbidden fruit (cf. the formation of the egoic mind, our perception of duality, and our growing sense of alienation)
3) our egoistic pursuit of happiness and/or security in some combination of:

• sensual indulgence
• material prosperity
• social recognition
• legalistic (and/or ascetic) ideals

4) the possibility of a moment of clarity that reveals the emptiness and/or futility of # 3
5) the possibility of our recognizing the light of the world which reconciles us to God and reveals the Way, the Truth, and the Life
6) the possibility of finding perfect peace and rest in “aware presence” and “alert stillness” (cf. the peace of Jesus)
7) the possibility of participating fully in the flow of life, here and now (one life, transcendent and immanent…  A new creation that is at once holy human and wholly Divine).

Good News!  Take up your cross!  The kingdom of heaven is at hand! 

–> That We May Know Him…

Pascal