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Today's Scripture
4Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent.
5He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
*Mark 3.4-6, NIV
Wisdom Story
A story about the mother of one of the Buddha's main disciples ...
The mother took rebirth in the hell realm. Her son, through the powers of his spiritual exercises, went to the realm of hellish suffering to rescue his mother. He patiently taught her the spiritual teachings that would change the hellish suffering of her mind. By the teachings, she was able to gain freedom from the hell realm. So attached, however, was the woman to her place in hell that she pleaded with the others there: "Please, don't let anyone take my place."
Part of mental meditation is transforming the clinging of the mind to states of suffering. This emotional suffering we say we do not want. Still, we keep choosing it. Why? We have become miserably accustomed to the suffering. We have become uncomfortable with heavenly states of mind: like, love, joy, peace, patience, ...
As C. S. Lewis taught, if a person not transformed by Grace into the spiritual life of heaven were placed in heaven, the person would find heaven painful; he or she would not be able to enjoy the good, true, and beautiful of heaven.
Anyone who has engaged in meditation knows how the mind-body habituated to negativity will resist its opposite state, even while the same mind-body says it wants freedom from suffering states.
Comments
Our oneness with the Divine is source of healing. Mind itself is an avenue of healing energy. Spirit moves through formless mind, as mind is one channel for Divine Energy. As the Gospel shows us repeatedly, we are participates in our own healing.
We can note four healing powers of mind (Tulku Thondup, Boundless Healing).
1) Positive images.
2) Positive words.
3) Positive feeling.
4) Positive belief.
Thondup expounds how these four positives work together in healing meditation:
1) Seeing images makes the healing process vivid and direct.
2) Recognizing and designating the positive quality of images makes the meditation strong and effective.
3) Feeling deepens and enriches the meditation and also helps us to recognize our problems, connect with them directly, and transform them.
4) Believing is the way to perfect and confirm the healing, redoubling the strength of the meditation and its results.
Again, "of the mind" in theocentric terms implies mind is the means for healing of Universal Mind, or Spirit, to flow in for emotional or physical healing.
Also, healing in this writing does not mean simply reparation of some obvious pain or fracture of mind or body. The greater healing entails the transformation of suffering states of mind, what Christian contemplatives speak of as the passions and afflictive emotions, to positive states of mind, and this includes the Fruit of the Spirit.
Spiritual Exercise
1) A Healing Meditation
The following exercise is only a bare plot. Read it to become familiar with it. Begin the meditation, afterward, allowing it to unfold naturally. Feel free to integrate positive qualities of sounds, scents, gestures, and touch. Trust your intuitive wisdom to guide you.
Go into prayerful, receptive meditation. Follow the inbreath and outbreath. After becoming calm, see yourself at the foot of a plush, green hill. The hill has a narrow, dirt path up its side. Proceed up.
When you get to the top, the hill is bright green with grass and the Sun shines brightly. You see to your right a clear, cool stream. You go over and kneel, placing your hand in the cool water. After feeling the sensation, you arise and look to your left and see someone looking at you.
A man stands under a beautiful evergreen tree. You see that it is Christ smiling at you. You walk over. He opens his arms wide for you. His eyes are glowing with compassion. You know he sees you through and through. You sense he wants to touch you wholly with healing, calming Love.
You move into Christ's arms. He holds you. You begin to feel a soothing and warm flow through your body. Everything around Christ and you becomes pure Light.
He and you are engulfed in the Light; there is no sense of separation between you and the Light, between you and Christ. You feel the Light, a Love warmly infusing every cell of your body.
Remain, enjoying the sensation of the Light. Speak with Christ about any suffering physically or emotionally that you need to offer to Him. If you can picture the suffering, do so, and see yourself placing it in his hands.
Let Christ speak healing to you. Receive His words, trust Him, and surrender to His power. Reply to Him, affirming gratitude for His touching you with healing Light.
After a time, reverse the meditation by seeing the Light dim. You and Christ smile at each other. At this point, you might hear Him speak more words to you. Reply as you need to. Then, tell of your gratitude.
You turn, everything slowly dims, and you are back following your breathing. When ready, open your eyes and adjust back to this reality.
You can use the above meditation for another person. Simply image yourself companioning the person, fully participating in the meeting with Christ with him or her.
2) A Breath prayer ...
Breathing in: Christ
Breathing out: Touch me
Breathing in: I receive
Breathing out: Your healing (smile)
See any major on-line bookseller for his book An Ache for Union.
For replies and biographical information, and submission to "The Light Shines" daily devotionals ~ a ministry of Christ Community United Methodist Church, Punta Gorda, FL, see next page:
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