Love is the Fulfilling of the Law
ON LOVE; PART CCXCVI
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α
GoodWill IS Love in Action
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α
Of all that the Master told us, He considered this as the Greatest of Commandments. So much of what we are to understand as aspirants or as believers is found in the precept that we must KEEP HIS WORDS:
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31).
We ask ourselves WHAT THEN IS LOVE?
In a general sense love is benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men.
We add to this THE EVER IMPORTANT AND HIGH IDEAL TAUGHT TO US BY THE CHRIST which can serve to both give us an understanding of what it means to Love oneself and how it is that we can Love our neighbor:
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them“ (Matthew 7:12).
As we look around the world as aspirants to discipleship, that degree of expression of the Love and Power of the Soul that we strive towards, we should try to recognize that it IS through our efforts and those like us around the world that this world can change. This is not meant to discount the endeavors of others who are engaged in the social and political efforts at world Peace, Harmony and True Sharing but rather to supplement their efforts with the spiritual Love and Power that we can and do bring into this world. Simply stated, we are in position to be of much use in this worldwide effort that IS ever underway behind the outer scene of chaos, an effort that goes relatively unnoticed by the self-centered world and is even demeaned by the more conservative pseudo-spiritual men and groups of men who believe that ONE WORLD is an idea that IS to be avoided at ALL costs. This IS of course a short-sighted view by men who are yet trapped in the glamour of their OWN right while ignoring God’s RIGHT. Again we must point out here that it IS NOT our intention to disparage anyone but rather to state the Truth as we see it from our perspective as aspirants to discipleship who have largely overcome the separatist attitudes of the self in the world by which a man will hold his own ideas and the ideas of those that he may follow as more important than the Truths of the Master’s teachings which echo the spiritual teachings of the ages. While we do not generally start an essay in this fashion, it IS good to remember and to say what the True intent of our work IS and this is that through the words that we write and publish we MUST find the wherewithal to express the Love that we see above in these words that have adorned the top of our essays now for many days and, simply expressed, this is LOVE which IS for us Active GoodWill in our thoughts, attitudes and actions in this world.
In these ideas we should try to see the Apostle Paul’s reasoning for his speech to the Epicureans and the Stoics who, in Greece in that day, likely represented the upper echelon of philosophical and even religious thought. He IS showing them that what they perceive as “strange gods” in his teaching about the Father, the Christ and the resurrection, as we note in our text from the Book of Acts, IS in Truth the SAME God that they themselves see as the “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth“. This IS the ONE God and the ONE WORLD idea in that day as the apostle brings to their ears this teaching that IS NOT separative but inclusive and it IS in this teaching that we should try to find the example for us here today and over the last 2000 years, an example that has gone largely ignored. By way of the philosophers, the apostle is trying to bring the people of Greece into the NEW WORLD, the ONE WORLD that exists under the ONE God, the SAME God of whom the apostle IS a disciple. Repeating again the words in their entirety we read:
“Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said , What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell , or to hear some new thing.) Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them. Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them” (Acts 17:18-34)
We should note here today that contrary to the view of parts of the modern church, these men, these Epicureans and Stoics, invite Paul to show to them what it is that he is teaching and in the end we find that while they may not ALL embrace him, though some do as we read above, they DO hear him and resolve that “We will hear thee again of this matter” as the apostle finishes his brief presentation. In these words from Paul above we should see the reality of ONE WORLD, ONE HUMANITY and ONE GOD as the way of the future from the perspective of Life in that day as the apostle teaches and encourages this attitude without ever mentioning his own thoughts on Christ; Paul deals specifically with the sense of God and we, as Christians, should try to understand the hidden relationships here for it IS our Master who tells us that “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). Recognizing that Paul IS filled with the revelations of Truth, with that Wisdom from above and the fruit of the Spirit, we should recognize as well that he is aware of the interrelationships between the Christ and the Father and that in his teachings here he IS aware of this Truth of ONENESS as expressed by the Master; and, here we can assume that this Truth is a part of his own presentation to these Greeks. Then from this perspective we should try to see that preaching Christ IS the same as preaching God as these ARE inseparable; and we see also that as God IS, so the Son IS also and that both are inherent aspects of the Trinity of both God and man.
The words of the apostle are rather clear and concise and as we have been discussing over the last several days there IS a message of ONENESS in both the words and the tone of Paul’s speech above. That the God that the Greeks see as the UNKNOWN GOD IS the same that the apostle sees as God, the Father of the Christ, the Father of us ALL, as we discussed in the last essay. Paul affirms also that this IS the “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth” and that this IS the God that “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth” and in this IS our understanding of our ONENESS on ALL levels, a ONENESS that only those that refuse to see will miss. To further emphasize this Truth the apostle continues to tell us that it IS “in him we live, and move, and have our being” and this saying can and should be seen as the ultimate Truth on every level of existence. The apostle tells us also that a part of this reality, this creation in the world of which he tells us in another place IS “made subject to vanity” (Romans 8:20) IS “That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him” and we should try to see this as that drive that brings humanity to religion and ultimately to Truth. It IS in this seeking that we “feel after him” in our drive to overcome the plight of the man in the world, deluded by the vanity and engrossed in the illusion and the glamour, that we may be “delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). Unfortunately too much of this message has been missed and is still missed by many in our modern world and there are likely many in the church yet today that would deny that the meaning that we get from the apostle’s words IS Truth as they would rather remain ensconced in the glamour that has been built by the doctrines that see separation as the way; a way that leaves them feeling comfortable in their own beliefs of superiority. Eventually ALL will realize the illusion that puts men into this state of belief regarding themselves and the rest of the world; perhaps in this Lifetime which would be the better choice, or perhaps in another future Lifetime where the whole of world opinion will have changed to be closer to these ideals that we hold as the Truth of the message of the Master and His apostles. We should here remember, as should those who use modern Christianity as a shield behind which they ensconce themselves, that these are the words of Paul and that to see them in the narrowness of the self and of the self in the world IS NOT what the Master intended this to be.
The problem in this ensconcing it that it does delude the masses because the church and its doctrines are seen as having the right authority and whatsoever the pastor or the priest pronounces is seen as Truth regardless of the reality. We can especially see this at work in some of the more fringe denominations or sects that come to our attention in the news and whether they are announcing the end of the world, the Second Coming of the Christ or that all should burn Korans in a bonfire, there are followers of these sects who believe and follow. This is of course only what we do hear about because of the absurdity of their teachings and here we should understand that this following and believing IS much more universal and happens in most ALL denominations so that the teaching is believed and followed by many. Thus the picture painted for some is that Jesus is to be worshiped although He never asked for this; He always deferred His works and His words to the Father, to God, and it is the SAME God that IS in the Master that can and will work in us when we come to the realization of this Truth. And the picture painted by the doctrines that use His name and His teachings as their source which harbor prejudice and a separative attitude toward others IS equally misleading to the followers as this IS NOT His message any more than the attitude that it IS only through Christ that a man may be ‘saved’. There is of course some Truth to this last assertion but NOT in the way that this is taught by much of the Church which teaches the nebulous ideas of faith and believing while the reality of the Christian experience is found ONLY in keeping His words. And here IS our Truth: it IS in keeping His words that we come to find the Christ, not the historical Christ nor in some strange way Jesus; we find the Christ Within, the anointing of divinity to be expressed to the world. And this IS our part in changing the world’s thoughts, attitudes and actions; not only about others as we strive to live in Peace and Harmony and True Sharing but also about Christianity and the Christ as we try to bring Truth to bear on the centuries old erroneous teachings of doctrine. We must however be careful not to offend those that believe in the doctrines that they have been taught; our objective must be to expand the teaching so that the next generations can learn more of the Truth of His words and the words of His apostles.
Paul’s message in the speech above to the Epicureans and the Stoics is of monumental importance to the Right understanding of the Will of the Father and the words of the Master, both of which should be seen as the same and equal pronouncements of righteousness. And this IS part of our calling, to see and to understand the reality of ONE WORLD, ONE HUMANITY and ONE GOD and to use this as the basis for our own thoughts, attitudes and actions in the world. It IS by our example that we can and will show others the value of the Good, the Beautiful and the True as opposed to the illusory and temporary nature of the things of the world. This is of course a most difficult task as there are few that will listen while they are still subjected to that vanity, to the illusion and the glamour, that makes them to believe that this Life in form IS the True Life of the man. Our greatest tool is our example and this too IS difficult to achieve as we are in this world as well, a world that IS subjected to vanity; our only advantage IS that we KNOW. There are also many who are disillusioned by the illusion if we can say it this way, many go unsatisfied by the teachings of doctrine and find the search for Truth in the doctrines of other denominations and religions is wearisome. It is these that we hope to somehow attract to our writings and it is these that can join us in our effort to change the world which should ever be our motivation.
We close today with this from the Epistle of Paul to the Galatians. These words, when taken very personally in a search of one’s own heart, can lead to greater revelation and Truth:
“Be not deceived; God isnot mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (Galatians 6:7-9).
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
| Aspect of God |
Potency |
Aspect of Man |
In Relation to the Great Invocation |
In relation to the Christ |
|
GOD, The Father |
Will or Power |
Spirit or Life |
Center where the Will of God IS KNOWN |
Life |
|
Son, The Christ |
Love and Wisdom |
Soul or Christ Within |
Heart of God |
Truth |
|
Holy Spirit |
Light or Activity |
Life Within |
Mind of God |
Way |
Note on the Quote of the Day
This daily blog also has a Quote of the Day which may not be in any way related to the essay. Many of these will be from the Bible and some just prayers or meditations that may have an influence on you and are in line with the subject matter of this blog. As the quote will change daily and will not store with the post, it is repeated in this section with the book reference and comment.
There is a certain esoteric Mantram which embodies this attitude—the attitude of the disciple who is striving, in cooperative endeavour with others, to link hierarchical intent with human aspiration and thus bring humanity nearer to its goal. The intent of the Hierarchy is to increase men’s capacity for freedom in order to function effectively with that “life more abundantly” which the Christ will bring and which demands that the spirit of man be free—free to approach divinity and free also to choose the Way of that approach. The Mantram bears the name, “The Affirmation of the Disciple.” It involves certain inner recognitions and acceptances which are readily perceived by those whose intuition is sufficiently awake; but its meaning should not be beyond the ability of any sincere student and thinker to penetrate if it appeals to them as significant and warranting their effort. ‡
I am a point of light within a greater Light.
I am a strand of loving energy within the stream of Love divine.
I am a point of sacrificial Fire, focussed within the fiery Will of God.
And thus I stand
I am a way by which men may achieve.
I am a source of strength, enabling them to stand.
I am a beam of light, shining upon their way.
And thus I stand.
And standing thus, revolve
And tread this way the ways of men,
And know the ways of God.
And thus I stand.
We repeat what we had previously said of this Mantram:
Today’s Quote of the Day is called the Affirmation of the Disciple and is spoken from the perspective of the Soul and not from that of the man in form. It is the Soul that we are in this life on Earth, housed in this ‘temple’ of flesh and it is the Light of the Soul that must flow through this ‘temple’ in order that we may say with the Christ “I have overcome the world“ (John 16:33) which is our goal and our destiny. Speaking then as the Soul we affirm our reality and true existence in God and in His Three Aspects of Light and Love and His Will. As this Light and Love and Will flow through our conscious personalities and forms we, as disciples, take on the nature of the second stanza being able to offer to the world a better way through our service and our Love for all, encouragement to righteousness through our strength of purpose, and the Light which shines in accordance with the Master’s instructions to “Let your light so shine before men” (Matthew 5:16) and illuminates the Path. Finally we realize that we are standing in this world and walking as men but, as conscious Souls in form, we know the way and the ways of God and are able to say with the Christ that “I am not of this world” (John 8:23).
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!
- ‡ TELEPATHY AND THE ETHERIC VEHICLE BY ALICE A. BAILEY © 1950 BY LUCIS TRUST
