Sunday is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time. The readings are taken from the books of Isaiah, Psalms, Hebrews and the Gospel of Luke. The themes are proclaiming the love of God and understanding the nature of discipline. In the Letter to the Hebrews, Peter wrote about the discipline of God and how it is formative for us, and not something to be feared or to cause grief. I do not know anyone who isn’t going through some level of “discipline” these days. We are clearing out a lot of baggage and it can feel like God is punishing us for something we may or may not have a clue about. As we mature spiritually, we come to understand that God does not punish. What we read or perceive as a punishment is nothing more than our shadow surfacing, and our task then becomes to understand its nature and release its hold on us. This can take quite an effort, but we have that grace within us to accomplish that clearing and healing. The early writers focused on the workings of the divine happening somewhere “out there” and so everything they experienced had its origins somewhere outside the body. As we come to understand the teaching of Jesus, that the realm of divinity is within, the focus shifts from “out there” to “within”. The “discipline of God” becomes that inner work we are all called to do for our own healing and for the healing of our communities and planet. In the Gospel reading, the writer shares Jesus’ dialogue with someone who was questioning the extent of God’s mercy. He asked Jesus: “Are they few in number who are to be saved?” Jesus then returned to a metaphor he had used before, that of the narrow gate. He encouraged the questioner to come in through that narrow passageway, saying many would try other means, but they would be unsuccessful. He even said that, when those people would come and ask for entrance, God would tell them he (sic) would not even know who they were. Again, take in this reading from the point of view of the inner work. How many times have we changed some behavior, or thought, and then later on, couldn’t believe we had ever acted or thought in that way? It becomes hard for us to recognize that was really us… Same with this reading. It is not so much that God is punishing those who didn’t come through the “right door”. It is more about the notion that once we come through, or “awaken”, we simply don’t recognize the old self. The narrow gate is the opening into Christ Consciousness, which is a universal spiritual concept. I am reminded of this – Divinity only loves. It cannot hate. When we approach any scripture (no matter what the tradition), look for the flow of love. It will be there, amidst the human interpretations and perceptions. But it is there. It is that love that is the common thread in all the spiritual traditions of humankind, and is what draws us into Oneness. Allow the grace of that love to transform your lives and know that what we can see as discipline is that infinite love clearing out what does not serve us, and brings us into that state of healing and harmony with all the Web of Life. Blessings! Rev. Karen
Posted on: Sat, 24 Aug 2013 19:19:39 +0000
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