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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, I hope persons of varied faiths will find inspiration here. Indeed, "God" can be whatever image helps us trust in the Sacred, by whatever means Grace touches us each. Please share this ministry with others, and please return soon. There is a new offering daily. And to be placed on the daily OneLife email list, to request notifications of new writings or submit prayer requests, write to briankwilcox@yahoo.com .
Blessings,
Brian Kenneth Wilcox MDiv, MFT, PhD
Interspiritual Pastor-Teacher, Author, Workshop Leader, Spiritual Counselor, and Chaplain.
You are invited to join Brian at his fellowship group on Facebook. The group is called OneLife Ministries – An Interspiritual Contemplative Fellowship. Hope to see you there. Blessings.
Scripture
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. Let love be your highest goal!
*I Corinthians 13.13-14.1a, NLT
Spiritual Teaching
St. Martin de Porres (1579-1639) was a Dominican lay brother, Lima, Peru. He was gifted medically and in supernatural healings. He is reported to have been able to mediate healing through his mere presence or touch.
De Porres extended his healing work beyond the monastery. He was especially drawn to the poor in need of healing. He often would carry one of these outcasts back to his cell and put him on his bed. One time, his superior ordered him to quit that. He did not obey. When he was seen to have disobeyed, he was severely reprimanded. De Porres replied, “Forgive my mistake, and please be kind enough to instruct me. I did not know that the precept of obedience took precedence over that of charity.” From that point on, the superior allowed him to use his bed for poor outcasts.
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St. Augustine wrote, in his Confessions, Nodum amabam, sed amar amabam: this can be roughly rendered: “I did not yet love, but I was in love with the idea of loving.” (Erasmo Leiva-Merikakas. Love's Sacred Order)
Possibly, we like Augustine, begin with falling in love with the idea of love. There is nothing wrong with this. Yet, falling in Love with Love, spiritual Love, occurs through acting lovingly, sometimes in a sacrificial way. Through acting in Love, we are drawn to Love; in giving Love, we are pulled by the loving into the Love we offer as an oblation of Grace. We do this, being transformed into Love.
When we find Love, we are found by Love, we discover the fount and inspiration of all true, spiritual religion. Like Jesus, this Living Law transcends all other laws and principles; this Love transcends and includes all holy and true, life-giving and noble, in all religions. In Love, we share ourselves and meet in God, who is the only Eternal One.
The Cross is central to Christian faith. This is so not because Jesus paid off God, so we could be pardoned. Rather, the Cross is the effulgence of witness of Divine Love. Only Love draws us rightly to God, all other drawings might draw, but ultimately come from and to Love. Amen.
Responding
Choose simple ways consciously to love this day.
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*OneLife Ministries is a ministry of Brian Kenneth Wilcox, SW Florida. Brian lives a vowed life and with his two dogs, Bandit Ty and St. Francis, with friends and under a vow of simplicity. Brian is an ecumenical-interspiritual leader, who chooses not to identify with any group, and renounces all titles of sacredness that some would apply to him, but seeks to be open to how Christ manifests in the diversity of Christian denominations and varied religious-spiritual traditions. He affirms that all spiritual paths lead ultimately back to Jesus Christ. 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 briankwilcox@yahoo.com . Also, Brian is on Facebook: search Brian Kenneth Wilcox.
*Contact the above email to book Brian for preaching, Spiritual Direction, retreats, workshops, animal blessing services, house blessings, or other spiritual requests. You can order his book An Ache for Union from major booksellers.
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