ON LOVE; PART DCXXVII
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GoodWill IS Love in Action
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“The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 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 12:29-31).
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“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40).
In the last essay we added some comments regarding the Wesak Festival which was yesterday and we now look forward to the next of the Three Spiritual Festivals which are recognized in esoteric circles that occur every year. Many in the mainstream churches would speak against this idea of festivals although they may have little or NO knowledge of their nature and this regardless of the way that the very intent of these IS to lift up humanity to greater spiritual awareness. Beginning with the Easter Festival which IS at the first full moon of Spring, moving on to Wesak and ending with World Invocation Day or the Festival of GoodWill, ALL of these have only beneficent intentions. If more would take the time to understand the reality of Life on this tiny planet, one could perhaps understand how that there may be times where the Cosmic Energies of the Greater Universe can impact us here on this Earth and participate in some way. ALL that a man can do with a mind set of Love, harmony and Peace will affect himself and those close to him at a minimum and will likely contribute some portion to the world wide effects of such thinking; this IS the reality that IS sought by those who help to guide the race of men. It IS unfortunate that doctrines ARE by their very nature closed-minded affairs that turn away most ALL ideas that ARE in any way contrary to their own beliefs and this IS a leading reason for the multiplicity of differing doctrines within each religion and especially within Christianity. It IS this closed-mindedness that turned the Jews away from Jesus 2000 years ago and it IS this same closed-mindedness that lends itself to the religious disharmony found in the yet world today.
The differences between Christian denominations ARE largely doctrinal as few can dispute the Truth of the Master’s words; they can only dispute the interpretations of men as they differ in their alleged effect on the man in the world and in this Light there should be a more accepting nature by ALL as regards the Master’s words on Love. This however IS NOT the case generally and while most will react civilly toward others of different doctrines, the DO maintain their own sense of Truth. This IS largely the effect of glamour as it pervades the human mind and emotions and causes men to hold to their own view of the Truth, their own illusions of Life. It IS a purpose for our writing, and for the existence of this blog, to speak out against this sense of division and the varieties of Truth which MUST be reconciled into the one Truth of the Master’s words and our chosen way has been to bluntly approach the issues as they arise much in the same way as the Apostle James who, in his straightforward and blunt approach, has set straight for us the way of the disciple and of the aspirant in the world in his day and yet today. It IS likely for this reason of his bluntness that his words are not held in the same esteem as are the words of Paul and this IS unfortunate. At the same time however this IS also a good thing as doctrine has not misinterpreted and misused James’ words to the same degree as has happened with Paul’s writings which ARE NOT so direct and so blunt. And in this same way our blog would NOT be appreciated by many in the doctrinal church as we try to apply the Master’s words to ALL that we say; we DO of course hope that we are successful in this effort.
While we believe that our approach embraces the Master’s intent, it IS ever to the reader to decide for himself, in the Light of his own Soul, the veracity of our words and our themes and while our approach may at times be wrong, it IS ever our intent to frame the Master’s words with the same intended Unity and Love with which He frames them. In this light we accept the esoteric ideas of these Three Festivals; the Easter or the Christ Festival, the Wesak Festival that was yesterday, and the Festival of GoodWill that comes at the Full Moon of June: we recognize that there are forces and energies that we DO NOT understand at play in the vastness of this Universe which IS in many ways the Body of God. We understand the effects of the progression of the Ages as these bring new and changing energies to our tiny planet by way of the energies of the Constellations with which we become aligned. While there IS NO ‘Christian’ teaching that covers these ideas, there IS the reality of the night sky through which we should see how infinitesimal this Earth and even this Solar System are in relation to the whole. As we have previously noted, there IS a group of sayings in the Book of Job that DOES reference this ideas of the energies of the Universe in which we exist and we close this section of our essay with parts of God’s answer to Job; we read:
“Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said…..Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons? Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth? Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee? Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are? Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart? Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven” (Job 38:1, 31-37).
Little IS KNOWN of the Book of Job; the writer and the True existence of the man Job are a mystery. The book IS however a part of the canon in Christianity, IS a part of the Jewish Tanakh and is discussed in the Talmud and Job IS cited in Islam as a prophet and a version of his story appears in the Qur’an. In these realities, the words above should be accepted somewhat as a Truth insofar as their effect upon the ideas of men as God here mentions the influences of these constellations and speaks about the greater zodiac as Mazzaroth.
Continuing with our sayings from the Epistle of James where we have come to what seems to be another transition of topics, but which IS in our view only a change in the perspective, as the apostle has been telling us about the perils of living according to the ways of the world. Beginning with what we see as the inner struggle of the aspirant and the disciple which IS found in his duality of vision, his seeing the things of God and the things of the world, the apostle tells us that we should take care in what it IS that we should desire as the personality yet longs for some degree of Earthly pleasures and comfort. He goes on to tells us that “the friendship of the world is enmity with God“, that the intimate familiarity that longing after worldly things brings IS in opposition to the things of God and James emphasizes this in saying that “a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4). James tells us then about the proud and the humble and in this idea of proud we should see the idea of the man who values the self in the world, the man who Is “a friend of the world” if we can say it this way. The humble man then IS the man whose focus IS upon the things of God and who, by degree, looks past the self in the world; the humble man has lost that sense of self that causes one to see himself above others which IS, in the reality of Life, an act of judgment as when one sets oneself higher, he is setting others lower. James tells us then that it IS the law itself by which we are judged and this judgment IS NOT as doctrine paints it to be; it IS one’s own view in the Truth as the Soul of one’s own Life in the world as compared to the word of God and of the Master, the “royal law” and the “law of liberty“. We now proceed to the apostle’s ideas on the nature of the man in the world and reality of his Life in form as we find these in our current group of sayings:
“Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say , If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:11-17).
In our view much of this epistle IS written from the perspective of ‘if the shoe fits’ and this next part emphasizes this as James begins by such in his own way saying: “Go to now, ye that say“. This divides his audience into those who may have the views that he next espouses and those who DO NOT while at the same time offering his customary cautions to ALL. Remembering here what we have just summarized regarding a man’s attitude towards the world and the tendency of some to yet see the attractions of the world in their individual state of duality, we find here that James pursues this same line in the idea of planning for tomorrow as a man in the world. Here we should reckon back to the Master’s words on “take no thought” (Matthew 6:25) where we see the reality as being NO thought whatsoever for the things of the world while others see only those citations of nourishment and clothing and interpret thought into worry and concern and anxiety about the morrow.
And it IS NOT only this specific plan of men that we should see here as while he says “To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain“, the reality IS ALL plans and schemes regarding the future of one’s Life in the world. The reality here IS that such plans and schemes require that the focus of the man will be on the self and the ways of the self in the world while the focus upon the things of God, which IS necessary to the aspirant and the disciple, are let to fade into the background or be shared with the ideas of Life in the world. And we should see here the Master’s companion sayings that come with the idea of “take no thought“; the choice between God and mammon and in the light of our own thoughts here on sharing, or of the things of the world overtaking the focus of the man, we should read Jesus words again saying: “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). Can we see the apostle’s point and how this can clarify and amplify the Master’s own words?
This IS NOT how that doctrine views these ideas as we can see in this from John Gill: Go to now, ye that say; The apostle passes from exposing the sin of detraction, and rash judgment, to inveigh against those of presumption and self-confidence; and the phrase, “go to now”, is a note of transition, as well as of attention, and contains the form of a solemn and grave address to persons, who either think within themselves, or vocally express, the following words, or the like unto them: today, or tomorrow, we will go into such a city; in such a country, a place of great trade and merchandise; as Tyre then was in Phoenicia, Thessalonica in Macedonia, Ephesus in Asia, and others: some render this as an imperative, or as an exhortation, “let us go”, which does not alter the sense. And continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain; as is customary for merchants to do; nor does the apostle design by this to condemn merchandise, and the lawful practice of buying and selling, and getting gain; but that men should not resolve upon those things without consulting God, and attending to his will, and subjecting themselves to it; and without considering the uncertainty and frailty of human life; as well as should not promise and assure themselves of success, of getting gain and riches, as if those things were in their own power, and had no dependence upon the providence and blessing of God 8.
Mr. Gill DOES NOT see the ideas that we see nor does he understand the nature of the writing, that it IS to aspirants and disciples, as we DO. He chooses to see this in a purely carnal sense with a touch of the doctrinal ideas of consulting God, and attending to his will which ideas in our view would be to do whatsoever in accordance with His word. We should also note here how that the idea of the providence and blessing of God works into Mr. Gill’s thoughts, an idea which in it own right IS contrary to the whole of the idea that “god is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). And this IS an idea which James takes the time to clarify in better fashion than DO Paul and Peter as he turns it onto the man who seeks God that “if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors” (James 2:9). Can we see that in this attitude of NOT respecting persons, that the Lord would do the same; that there IS NO special treatment for any save that which IS developed through one’s own expression of the Love and the Power of the Soul in the world? and can we see also that there would be no discernible material benefit in such special treatment?
The Commentary Critical and Explanatory of the Whole Bible merely takes the apostle’s words and repeats them in a clearer but more doctrinal English form saying: Go to now–“Come now”; said to excite attention. ye that say–boasting of the morrow. To-day or to-morrow–as if ye had the free choice of either day as a certainty. Others read, “To-day and to-morrow.” such a city–literally, “this the city” (namely, the one present to the mind of the speaker). This city here. continue . . . a year–rather, “spend one year.” Their language implies that when this one year is out, they purpose similarly settling plans for to come [BENGEL]. buy and sell–Their plans for the future are all worldly 8. While they DO NOT offer us a True commentary here they do provide us with one idea that we do see as well; that for any who ARE among those “ye that say“, such ARE seen as those whose plans for the future are all worldly. This IS a part of the essence of the apostle’s point as well as the point of the ideas from the Master cited above.
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
| Aspect |
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.
As we approach the Wesak Festival at the Full Moon of May, it seems appropriate that we post the Great Invocation as our Quote of the Day. Wesak IS the Festival of the Buddha and it IS said that on this day the Buddha returns to us and stands with the Christ to help to focus the attention of men of GoodWill on the Truth of the Plan of God, the Plan that can come to fruition in the expression of the Light and Love and Power in the world of men.
From the point of Light within the Mind of God
Let light stream forth into the minds of men.
Let Light descend on Earth.
From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let love stream forth into the hearts of men.
May Christ return to Earth.
From the centre where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide the little wills of men–
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.
From the centre which we call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.
Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.
This prayer is a part of our Prayers and Meditations section and there is much information about it there and in our discussion of it in the Quote of the Day section of In the Words of Jesus parts 128-132
The above Invocation or Prayer does not belong to any person or group but to all Humanity. The beauty and the strength of this Invocation lies in its simplicity, and in its expression of certain central truths which all men, innately and normally, accept—the truth of the existence of a basic Intelligence to Whom we vaguely give the name of God; the truth that behind all outer seeming, the motivating power of the universe is Love; the truth that a great Individuality came to earth, called by Christians, the Christ, and embodied that love so that we could understand; the truth that both love and intelligence are effects of what is called the Will of God; and finally the self-evident truth that only through humanity itself can the Divine Plan work out.
Like the Lord’s Prayer, this invocation is a World Prayer which is as all that a prayer is intended to be. It is a prayer for the uplifting of the Human Family out of the mire of materialism and selfishness. The Lord’s Prayer asks nothing for the individual praying it but asks that its benefits be for US and for WE which is why it was given by the Christ as a prayer and as a model over 2000 years ago. This invocation is also attributed to the Christ who, as He promised, has never left us; He, through channels that we do not readily understand, has Himself instructed His disciples to distribute this prayer and to encourage its use as a world prayer and as an aid in preparing the world for His return.
The first three stanzas of this prayer should be understood as reflecting the effective potencies of the Trinity which is God and which, when brought down to an individual level, the Trinity which is Man. His Will, His Love and His Light we should seen as the Potent Powers of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!
- 8 Bible commentaries on BibleStudyTools.com
