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Welcome to OneLife Ministries. This site is designed to lead you prayerfully into a heart experience of Divine Presence, Who is Love. While it focuses on Christian teaching, the writer hopes persons of other faiths find inspiration here. Indeed, "God" can be whatever image helps you trust in the Sacred, by whatever means Grace touches you. Please share this ministry with others, and I hope you return soon. There is a new offering daily.
Blessings,
Rev Dr Brian K Wilcox, MDiv, MFT, PhD
Pastor-Teacher, Author, Workshop Leader, Spiritual Counselor, Chaplain
OPENING PRAYER
A Confession on Sacred Ignorance
I must forgive myself, now, even as I ask forgiveness of You, for all the times I have spoken hastily of the Mystery bathing all life in a sacred night glowing with Light so bright, so immense, anything said is a mere hint of a Word so pure and true the senses of mere humans can but intuit an echo that baffles the mind and dumbs the tongue.
Even the names and titles of "God" disappear in this Word of God-in-God, known in many names, but contained in one Name, which is the Nature of the Light within us each. And, yes, the Mystery, that in Jesus Christ, I see with an inward vision, a spiritual reflection of You who loves all equally and chooses all the same.
This Light, Who You Are, closes my senses inside the Heart of Love, for this One-in-Many, this You, is only Love, and this One, this You, gives birth to the universe to lead me to love, and in loving to love You, Who is Love. Therefore, through created things, I learn to love, and love You.
This does not make me believe less in You, only less in all I have heard and said of You, and more in You - the Mystery of the Being Who loves me, even before I was born here, in this place, as one with You and returning to You.
Then, save me from those of religion or un-religion who think they know so much of You, as to overly know you or overly deny you, and speak with such confidence of You or such lack of faith in Your existence. Save me from the pride in them, and myself, that resists resting alone in the Mystery of Who You Are, in, before, beyond, and for all things.
If this means I am to be less religious, make me so. If this means I am to be more religious, make me so. If this means I am to live and die a heretic, then, make me so. If this means I find no place in the church, make it so. If this means I find in the church a home here, make it so.
For I seek neither ir-religion or religion, neither orthodoxy or heterodoxy, neither church or no-church. I seek You. I seek You, for only You can quench the thirst of my heart for Life. And, at the point of my death, knowing You, and not the estimation of others of my thought about You, or my place among others, shall be the wellspring of comfort, peace, and praise in my heart, as I leave this world. May it be so. Amen.
LISTENING TO SCRIPTURE
No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is truly God and is closest to the Father, has shown us what God is like.
*John 1.18 (CEV)
8Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need."
9Jesus replied: Philip, I have been with you for a long time. Don't you know who I am? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. How can you ask me to show you the Father?
*John 14.8-9 (CEV)
RECEIVING SACRED TEACHING
A man dies and goes to the pearly gates of heaven. He says, "St. Peter, I'm here to be let into paradise." The apostle looks at the Book of Life. St. Peter says, "Sir, I'm sorry, but your name is not here." The man, very surprised, says, "But why?" St. Peter states, "I don't know." The man replies, "But I gave my life to learning so much about God and our faith." "Well," retorted St. Peter, "maybe that is why you are not able to get into heaven."
* * *
Nasruddin earned his living selling
eggs. Someone came to his shop one day
and said, "Guess what I have in my hand."
"Give me a clue," said Nasruddin.
"I shall give you several: It has
the shape of an egg, the size of an
egg. It looks like an egg, tastes
like an egg, and smells like an egg.
Inside it is yellow and white. It is
liquid before it is cooked, becomes
thick when heated. It was moreover,
laid by a hen."
"Aha! I know!" said Nasruddin. "It
is some sort of cake!"
The expert misses the obvious.
*Anthony De Mello. The Song of the Bird..
* * *
Contemplation is the highest expression of man's intellectual and spiritual life. It is that life itself, fully awake, fully active, fully aware that it is alive. It is spiritual wonder. It is spontaneous awe at the sacredness of life, of being. It is gratitude for life, for awareness and for being. It is a vivid realization of the fact that life and being in us proceed from an invisible, transcendent ... Source.... It is, above all, awareness of the reality of that Source. It knows the Source, obscurely, inexplicably, but with a certitude that goes beyond reason and beyond simple faith.
*Thomas Merton. New Seeds of Contemplation.
Why? Why? Why? We go on deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper, until we reach the point where there is no answer. There is not even a question.
*Chogyam Trungpa. The Essential Chogyam Trungpa. Edited by Carolyn Rose Gimian. "Padmasambhava and Spiritual Materialism."
For although it be good to think upon the kindness of God, and to love God and praise God for it, yet it is far better to think upon the naked being of God, and to love God and praise God for God-in-God.
*The Cloud of Unknowing. Edited from the British Museum MS. Harl. 674. 2nd Edition. Revision by this writer.
* * *
There are too many religious experts. The contemplative is the person giving up all claim to having any expertise in matters of faith or Spirit. Contemplation is humbling, for it leads into an abyss of ignorance that is one with certainty, arising from God and not from self, or any source of this world, that passes beyond all common meanings of faith, religion, and spirituality.
Even in Christ we meet this - that we can know of God, but we cannot know God-in-God. We know that of God that our senses receive of God or, in rare moments, in some transcendence of our senses in Purity of Love and Faith, untouched by anything of will, memory, or understanding.
QUIETLY RESPONDING
1) Answer the following based on your best, present understanding:
What is religion? What is spirituality? What is faith?
2) What is meant by contemplation, in a spiritual sense?
Blessings!
Rev Dr Brian K Wilcox
May 23, 2009
* * *
*OneLife Ministries is a ministry of Brian K. Wilcox, of SW Florida. Brian lives a vowed life and with his two dogs, Bandit Ty and St. Francis. Brian is an ecumenical spiritual leader, open to how Christ manifests in the diversity of Christian denominations and varied religious-spiritual traditions. He is Senior Chaplain for the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, Punta Gorda, FL.
*Brian welcomes responses to his writings or submission of prayer requests at barukhattah@embarqmail.com .
*Contact the above email to book Brian for Spiritual Direction, retreats, or workshops. You can order his book An Ache for Union at major book dealers.
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