Saying For Today: To follow Jesus means Spirit will lead us outside the contours that encompass all the images of Jesus, to follow Jesus, from Love to Love.
LOTUS OF THE HEART
Living in LOVE beyond Beliefs
EVERYONE IS WELCOME HERE
*"Jesus," Serlunar, Flickr
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As the Source has loved me, so have I loved you: keep living in my love.
*Jesus, The Gospel of John
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The aged Abbot welcomed to the monastery those the church esteemed to be among the irreligious sort of persons. He would often be seen welcoming such a person to sit with him in the monastery garden or leading such a one into his little cell for tea and conversation. He would spend hours talking with such men. Even worse said many, he would entertain such women of ill-repute at the monastery. Indeed, he did entertain men and women alike.
His reputation for doing this uncommon hospitality grew outside the monastery walls. This brought more such visitors. Also, his actions brought more concern from church leadership, who considered his openness to violate the sanctity and purpose of monastic life and the vows to holiness taken by clerics.
One of the younger monks risked asking the Abbot about this matter. The risk was because the Abbot, while being usually a kind man, had a reputation for being stern and impatient with some matters. "Father," the monk spoke, "forgive me, but may I ask you a question?" After consent, the monk asked, "Father, why do you put at risk the reputation of our monastery and censure of the church by entertaining outsiders considered irreligious?" The Abbot replied, bluntly, saying, "Son, a much greater risk than what you speak of is my not welcoming Christ when He comes to receive hospitality at this monastery." "But," said the befuddled monk, "I've not seen Christ come to this monastery to find hospitality." "Then, my son," the Abbot spoke, "I pray that one day you will be able to see, for He has been coming day-after-day since your arrival here, but most do not see."
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Seeing Jesus means having a heart prepared to see Jesus. We may miss Jesus, for our heart is held captive to an image of Jesus. Grace transforms our heart, converts us inwardly, to see outwardly Jesus, and not least in those persons and places where many would least expect or want to see Jesus.
Possibly, we have come to a time to challenge the images of Jesus that are associated with royalty and power and war, and identify more with the Jesus who saw in everyone something lovely and lovable, something untouched by the worst one had done, an innocence free of the hurt suffered from others or the hurt inflicted on others. Or, do we want a church-Jesus? A God-bless-America-Jesus? A God-damn-those-sinners-Jesus? A Christianity-only-Jesus? To follow Jesus means Spirit will lead us outside the contours that encompass all the images of Jesus, to follow Jesus, from Love to Love.
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And I am not here speaking of knowing exactly who Jesus was - both fundamentalist conservatives and their opposite kin fundamentalist liberals - seem to have their orthodox certainties on the identity of Jesus - and their images of Jesus are their images of themselves. This is a subtle idolatry. What I am saying is that to follow Jesus means to love Jesus and to pray to be Christlike, not to have some degree of certainty about Jesus historically, biographically. My experience is that the deeper the "Yes" to Jesus, the less I know him biographically, the less I feel a need to know him historically. As Love deepens, a knowing of the heart emerges and deepens in subtle bliss of beauty and grace - this is the grace of spiritual contemplation. In following Jesus, you will, in some sense, possibly lose most of your certainties about him. Yet, you will love him, and grow to love him more, not in mere devotional sentimentality, certainly not in a tenacious gripping of an ideology about Jesus, but Love-in-Love, by Grace, from the Heart. And you may or may not identify yourself as a Christian. Remember, Jesus did not start Christianity, rather, Christianity grew from his life and inspiration; and he was not a Christian, but a Jew, and more - as all holy persons are something and more, a more that is held only in the embrace of silent Love, eternally Now.
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*Embracing the Light, Fe Langdon, Flickr
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*Lotus of the Heart is a Work of Arem Nahariim-Samadhi ~ a Hospice Chaplain, interspiritual author, writer, poet, and bicyclist. He is someone in love with Life and inviting others to that same ecstasy of Love ~ and, by the way, herein is nothing he claims as his own.
