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You experience communion
to the degree
you are and are becoming communion.
This is the final of the series 'benevolent and indifferent Presence.' During this series, an acquaintance asked a question about a relationship with his beloved cat, which had brought him much blessing and whom he loved. He asked, "Can God help us with animals? Give us good karma with having a good animal friend?" So, today, I offer my reply, for it applies to this series and, in it, my contention that what I have been speaking of extends to all relationships, not only with other humans, and not only with the seen. And, herein, devotional faith was used, for the acquaintance practices such a path; devotional faith means a path of spirituality through a surrender to and love for a personal Absolute.
In devotional faith, when receptive to Grace, to the in-flow of Good, Good arises as natural outflow, not reward, of meeting Love, 'God,' with love, your loving 'God.' Best to drop all thought of reward, all karma as a fixed, inflexible law, easily being interpreted as another form of legalism. As to traditional ideas of karma, comparable to getting good or bad from 'God' for behavior, as long as one believes in karma, one is bound to karma: Grace frees from 'law.'
The karma, lit. 'action,' better, is the whole process of the relationship happening, unfolding with the Giver and gift, always in this one Moment happening.
In 'higher' expression of consciousness, the desire to ask for anything specific from 'God' dissolves, the heart directed to 'God' alone. Whatever arises, there is a natural, spontaneous relationship with the blessing in gratitude. Gift is in all things arising from 'God.' In adoring the gift, one adores the Giver - the two being one act of gratitude.
In devotional spirituality, every Good received is a sacrament, a reception of Grace mirroring the Giver of Grace. One knows 'God,' communes with 'God,' through whatever and whomever is present, be it called animate or inanimate, seen or unseen: there is no duality between sacred and secular, religious and irreligious, spiritual and unspiritual, ...
In Grace, the blessing of sharing with your beloved cat is as sacred, as holy, as any ritual or any meeting with any so-called holy person. Love is not different when shared with 'God,' or a parent, or a friend, or a total stranger, or your cat. Indeed, a cat, or other animal, may be more truly positively instrumental in our lives and experience of the Sacred as, say, a parent or friend. Relating with your cat is only a different shade of meditation, of spiritual contemplation, and no less important than a single one of the many so-called spiritual practices.
In Grace, any act of sharing is as vital as any esteemed so-called spiritual book, teacher, or teaching.
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