TRUE FREEDOM; (What Freedom Means To Me)
To be free is to know who I am, with all that is brokenness within me. It is to appreciate and love the moral principles and values of life that is necessary for the good of all people. To embrace them, and develope them. It is necessary for me to be anchored in a truth; but, to be open with others and so to change. True freedom lies in discovering that the truth is not a set of fixed certitudes, inevitabilities, or concrete self-assurances, but, a mystery I enter into one step at a time. By mystery I mean a manifestation of God's providence. It is a process of me going into an unfathomable reality. In this process of integrating my experience and moral values, and what I learn as I listen to other people, even if there are moments when I experience personal anguish. I need to find links between the old and the new; that will permit the integration of new conscious-expanding truths into what I already know and am struggling to live presently inside my existing certitudes.
As human sciences, and the world develops and my own spirituality evolves, I am called to grow into a new deeper understanding of the true " Source " of the universe and of life.
As I participate in this, my sense of the true expands.
True Freedom for me is to be in awe of this " Source ", of beauty, and diversity of people, and the universe. It is important for me to contemplate the height and breadth of all that is true. True freedom for me is to accept that I belong to a group, a race, a tribe, a family, a community, a religion; and to realize that none of these is perfect, that each has its limits, and weaknesses. Every community of humans has its light and darkness. As a human being, I believe we are part of something greater than ourselves. We flow from a " Source " that is unfathomable, and are all journeying towards it, carrying within us the light of truth and love. I am called to be in communion with the source and heart of the universe. The infinite yearning of my heart is calling me to be in communion with the " Infinite ". I can never be satisfied with the limited and the finite. I must be free to follow the Spirit of God. And this freedom is for love and compassion, to give my life more totally and freely to others. It is the freedom to be kind, thoughtful, considerate, tolerant, generous, forgiving, and patient.
This freedom I seek does not entertain personal honours; it believes all, bears all, and endures all. This freedom I seek does not judge or condemn, but understands and forgives. Freedom for me, is liberation from all those inner fears that makes me hide from people and reality. It is the humble acceptance that I do indeed have fears and inhibitions that restrain me from doing what I rightfully ought to do. This includes asking forgiveness of those whom I have hurt, and forgiving those who have hurt me.
There is a freedom I sense exist, but, that I do not have. I cannot always articulate the ineffable quality of this freedom, but, I do want it. I sense, I still have a long road to walk in order to reach this freedom I seek. I see the goal, but, I am not yet there. I love and want it, but, often-times I am frightened of the disappearance of my walls of defence, sensing that behind them, there is a past anguish and vulnerability that might paralyze me. I see that I still cling to what people think of me, and at times I am excessively-conscious of the way my family and friends love, want and admire me. However; If all that fell away, "Who would I Be" ? But, is that not where true freedom lies ?
The freedom to be rejected, if that is the path or destiny I am to take to live more fully. Is that not the freedom that Jesus spoke about in his charter of the Beatitudes, when He talks of the blessedness of those who are persecuted, or when He says; "Woe unto you when people speak well of you". I suppose in my own way I can relate to Nelson Mandela’s words; I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else's freedom, just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken from me...To be truly
free is not merely to cast off ones chains of pain and suffering, but, to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of other people. I have walked the long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter. I have made many missteps along the way.
But, I have discovered the secret, that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are still many other hills to climb in life. I have taken moments in my life, to rest, to steal a surrounding view of the most beautiful meriting aspects and values about people and life. To look back on the distance I have come. But; I realize that I can rest only for a moment, for with true freedom comes responsibilities, and I must endeavour to use all my strength not to be hesitant or foolhardy, for my long road has not yet ended...............................................
My goal in life is to work with the suffering, the poor, the sick, the destitute, the heartbroken. To give something good of myself. To inspire hope and faith in a tactful way with those who have none. This is the setting I believe I would be happiest with the remainder of my life. To give of my time to others without
Thursday, November 20, 2008
HUMILITY
HUMILITY
When I think about the greatest cause of unhappiness it's often related to personal pride and selfishness.
I think that anyone that boastfully esteems himself or herself as important in a self-righteous way is actually showing
the credentials of their own worthlessness. Those who would aspire vainglory in Pride is actually an attempt to create an
impression that we are not what we actually are. How much happier would I be, if instead of self-lauding my pride, reducing it to zero.
I would then find the true infinite "through" the rarest of all virtues...namely ("humility"). Being humble is actually being true to oneself.
If I had the talent to be a good writer and told people I was nothing more than a scribbler,
such a statement would seem as though I was seeking praise. Rather; I would be humbler if I said;
Well; whatever talent I have is a gift of God and I thank Him for it.
The higher a skyscraper, the deeper it's foundation in the ground.
The greater the moral heights that I should aspire to, the greater should be my humility.
When John the Baptist recognized Jesus in the river Jordan he said; "I must decrease; He must increase".
In nature flowers humbly wilt and depart before winter to see only it's mother roots that remain in the soil.
Dead to the world it's roots keep house under the earthen soil in humble humility, unseen by the eyes of people.
But because they humbled themselves, they are exalted and glorified in their beauty in the new springtime growth.
Only when a box or human soul is empty can it be filled. Only when human ego is deflated can God pour His blessings.
Some human souls in life's journey have their hearts filled with so much self-pride that it is impossible
for love of thy neighbour and love of God to enter. If I should remain self-seeking constantly, friends, family, and
acquaintances would disown me.
I think that one of the most beautiful things about being receptive to humility is giving freely of ourselves to others.
Fact is I would have not learned to give of myself if I had not received or taken from somebody else who was generous.
One has to be a taker before one can be a giver from the heart.
So God, before He can be a Giver must find someone who is willing to take something from Him.
But if I am not humble enough to receive from God I am not open to receive anything.
In essence I receive nothing. A man once possessed by the devil was brought to a Father in the desert.
When the saint commanded the devil to leave, the devil asked;
What is the difference between the sheep and the goats whom the Lord will put at His right and His left Hand the day of Judgment ?
The saint answered; I am one of the goats. The devil said; "I leave you because of your humility".
How many in this world have said; ("And I personally am one of them")....I have laboured for years for others and even for God;
and what did I get out of it ? Nothing but great painful suffering. I am still nothing, a nobody.
The reality is though some of us are not fully aware of it, that; we have gained something;
in essence we have gained the truth of our own littleness...and of course great merit in the next life.
If you ask a person ("Are you a saint") if that person answers in the affirmative, you can be sure that he or she is not.
Why ? Because a real saint wouldn't dare boast before God that he or she is a saint.
A true humble person concentrates on their own mistakes and errors in life, not upon those of others.
A true humble person does not carry their own faults on their back, but in front of them.
A true humble person would carry the indiscrepencies of their neighbour hidden and concentrate on what is good and virtuous.
A proud person on the contrary complains against everybody and believes that they have been wronged or else not treated as they deserve.
From a spiritual point of view, If I was proud of my own intelligence, talent, or voice and never gave God thanks for such gifts
I would be nothing less than robber. It would be like taking gifts from God and never giving thanks to the Giver of all Gifts.
In nature the harvest ears of barley which bear the richest of grain always hang the lowest.
A humble person is never discouraged, but a proud person often falls into despair. The humble person has God to call upon.
The proud person has only their ego that has collapsed. How often I fall into despair. How often I forget the most humblest of beautiful
prayers. Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace. Where there is hatred, let there be love; where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where their is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not seek so much to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.
For it is in Giving that we receive, it is in pardon, that we are pardoned, it is in dying to ourselves that we are born to eternal life.
When I think about the greatest cause of unhappiness it's often related to personal pride and selfishness.
I think that anyone that boastfully esteems himself or herself as important in a self-righteous way is actually showing
the credentials of their own worthlessness. Those who would aspire vainglory in Pride is actually an attempt to create an
impression that we are not what we actually are. How much happier would I be, if instead of self-lauding my pride, reducing it to zero.
I would then find the true infinite "through" the rarest of all virtues...namely ("humility"). Being humble is actually being true to oneself.
If I had the talent to be a good writer and told people I was nothing more than a scribbler,
such a statement would seem as though I was seeking praise. Rather; I would be humbler if I said;
Well; whatever talent I have is a gift of God and I thank Him for it.
The higher a skyscraper, the deeper it's foundation in the ground.
The greater the moral heights that I should aspire to, the greater should be my humility.
When John the Baptist recognized Jesus in the river Jordan he said; "I must decrease; He must increase".
In nature flowers humbly wilt and depart before winter to see only it's mother roots that remain in the soil.
Dead to the world it's roots keep house under the earthen soil in humble humility, unseen by the eyes of people.
But because they humbled themselves, they are exalted and glorified in their beauty in the new springtime growth.
Only when a box or human soul is empty can it be filled. Only when human ego is deflated can God pour His blessings.
Some human souls in life's journey have their hearts filled with so much self-pride that it is impossible
for love of thy neighbour and love of God to enter. If I should remain self-seeking constantly, friends, family, and
acquaintances would disown me.
I think that one of the most beautiful things about being receptive to humility is giving freely of ourselves to others.
Fact is I would have not learned to give of myself if I had not received or taken from somebody else who was generous.
One has to be a taker before one can be a giver from the heart.
So God, before He can be a Giver must find someone who is willing to take something from Him.
But if I am not humble enough to receive from God I am not open to receive anything.
In essence I receive nothing. A man once possessed by the devil was brought to a Father in the desert.
When the saint commanded the devil to leave, the devil asked;
What is the difference between the sheep and the goats whom the Lord will put at His right and His left Hand the day of Judgment ?
The saint answered; I am one of the goats. The devil said; "I leave you because of your humility".
How many in this world have said; ("And I personally am one of them")....I have laboured for years for others and even for God;
and what did I get out of it ? Nothing but great painful suffering. I am still nothing, a nobody.
The reality is though some of us are not fully aware of it, that; we have gained something;
in essence we have gained the truth of our own littleness...and of course great merit in the next life.
If you ask a person ("Are you a saint") if that person answers in the affirmative, you can be sure that he or she is not.
Why ? Because a real saint wouldn't dare boast before God that he or she is a saint.
A true humble person concentrates on their own mistakes and errors in life, not upon those of others.
A true humble person does not carry their own faults on their back, but in front of them.
A true humble person would carry the indiscrepencies of their neighbour hidden and concentrate on what is good and virtuous.
A proud person on the contrary complains against everybody and believes that they have been wronged or else not treated as they deserve.
From a spiritual point of view, If I was proud of my own intelligence, talent, or voice and never gave God thanks for such gifts
I would be nothing less than robber. It would be like taking gifts from God and never giving thanks to the Giver of all Gifts.
In nature the harvest ears of barley which bear the richest of grain always hang the lowest.
A humble person is never discouraged, but a proud person often falls into despair. The humble person has God to call upon.
The proud person has only their ego that has collapsed. How often I fall into despair. How often I forget the most humblest of beautiful
prayers. Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace. Where there is hatred, let there be love; where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where their is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not seek so much to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.
For it is in Giving that we receive, it is in pardon, that we are pardoned, it is in dying to ourselves that we are born to eternal life.
The Heart ("The Human Heart")
THE HEART (THE HUMAN HEART)
Where your treasure is there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34
.................................................................
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of the heart are the issues of life.
.................................................................
The Heart is not only an abyss of Love; it is also an abyss of Mercy.
.................................................................
True sight does not come by the limited vision of human eyes;
True sight is found in the depths of the human heart.
.................................................................
The Heart, the metaphysical heart, the basis of all relationships, is what is deepest in each one of us. It is my heart that bonds itself to another heart; it leads us out of the restricted belonging of our inner self, which creates exclusion, to meet and love others just as they are. A little child is only heart; he/she thrives off relationships, he/she grows through relationships.
When he/she is in communion with someone he/she trusts, he/she is safe, he/she is someone, someone unique and important. He/She is thus empowered, for the rest of his/her life, to be open to others, and able to bring this sense of empowerment into their work. To work means to be energetic, strong, and active, cooperating with others. Communion means to be vulnerable and tender, it means opening one's heart and sharing one's hopes and pain, even all that is failure and brokenness in our lives. If my heart is broken, I can quickly feel crushed and fall into depression, unable to work. Or I may refuse all relationships and throw myself savagely into work.
If my heart is fulfilled, it will shine through my work. We've all seen the transforming power of love. The most hardened embittered person sees themselves and sees life in a new way when they fall in love; and when they know they are loved. It is very easy to recognize a man and/or woman who falls in love. Aggressive or depressive tendencies seem to disappear. They move toward a gentle openness; instead of protecting themselves behind barriers, they make themselves open and welcoming. A new freedom of kindness, and tenderness becomes evident. My point here is that a human being is more than the power or capacity to think and perform daily tasks. In essence there is a gentle person of love hidden in the child within each of us who are adults.
The heart is the place where we meet others, suffer and rejoice with them. It is the place where we can identify and be in solidarity with them. Whenever we love we are not alone. The heart is the place of our own "oneness" with others. The way of the heart implies a choice. We can choose to take this path and treat people as people and not just mindless machines.
(Example)... ("We can see a cook working in a hotel simply as a cook, "Or" we can look at that person with a heart; who has children and a wife or husband and who might be living a difficult painful relationship, and who is in need of understanding and kindness"). To treat each person as a person means that we are concerned for them, that we listen to them, and love them, and want them to become more whole, free, truthful, and responsible.
To speak about the human heart is not to speak of vaguely defined emotions, but to speak of the very core of our being. At the core of our heart, we all know we can be strengthened and rendered more truthful and more alive. Our hearts can become hard as stone or tender as flesh. We have to create situations where our hearts can be fortified and nourished. In this way, we can be more sensitive to others, to their needs, their cries, their inner pain, their tenderness, their needs of love, and their gifts of love.
Our hearts however; are never totally pure. People can cry out to be loved especially if as children that were not loved. There are married relationships that are loving "yet" unhealthy because they are a flight from truth and from responsibility. They are unhealthy because one is too frightened to challenge one's lover. These are signs of the immature heart. An immature heart can lead another person to depression and death. It is only once a heart has become mature in love that it can take the road of insecurity, putting its trust in God.
It is the "Heart" that can make wise decisions and has learned to discern and take risks that bring life. It can meet people inside and outside of the place of belonging. It can meet people who have been rejected or excluded. It is the heart that helps us to discover the common humanity that links us all.
That is even stronger than all that bonds us together as part of a specific group. The heart then, forgoes the need to control others. The free heart frees others. Heart-to-heart relationships where God is present are more important than the approbation of society or of a group.
Belonging to a group is important; it is the "earth" in which we grow. Sometimes however; we have to fore-go group approval and even accept rejection, if it should happen, in order to follow what the ancients called in Latin; "Scienta Cordis", the science of the heart, which gives inner strength to put truth, flowing from experience, over the need for approval.
The science of the heart permits us to be vulnerable with others, not to fear them, but listen to them, to see their beauty and value, to understand them in all theirs fears, needs, and hopes, even if that means tactfully challenging them if need be.
The science of the heart permits us to accept others just as they are, and to believe that they can grow to greater beauty and wisdom. the mature heart does not seek to impose faith.
The mature heart listens for what another's heart is called to be. It no longer judges or condemns. It is a heart of forgiveness. Such a heart is a compassionate heart that sees the presence of God in others. It lets itself be led by others into uncharted land. It is the heart that calls us to grow, to change, to evolve, and become more fully human.
Where your treasure is there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34
.................................................................
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of the heart are the issues of life.
.................................................................
The Heart is not only an abyss of Love; it is also an abyss of Mercy.
.................................................................
True sight does not come by the limited vision of human eyes;
True sight is found in the depths of the human heart.
.................................................................
The Heart, the metaphysical heart, the basis of all relationships, is what is deepest in each one of us. It is my heart that bonds itself to another heart; it leads us out of the restricted belonging of our inner self, which creates exclusion, to meet and love others just as they are. A little child is only heart; he/she thrives off relationships, he/she grows through relationships.
When he/she is in communion with someone he/she trusts, he/she is safe, he/she is someone, someone unique and important. He/She is thus empowered, for the rest of his/her life, to be open to others, and able to bring this sense of empowerment into their work. To work means to be energetic, strong, and active, cooperating with others. Communion means to be vulnerable and tender, it means opening one's heart and sharing one's hopes and pain, even all that is failure and brokenness in our lives. If my heart is broken, I can quickly feel crushed and fall into depression, unable to work. Or I may refuse all relationships and throw myself savagely into work.
If my heart is fulfilled, it will shine through my work. We've all seen the transforming power of love. The most hardened embittered person sees themselves and sees life in a new way when they fall in love; and when they know they are loved. It is very easy to recognize a man and/or woman who falls in love. Aggressive or depressive tendencies seem to disappear. They move toward a gentle openness; instead of protecting themselves behind barriers, they make themselves open and welcoming. A new freedom of kindness, and tenderness becomes evident. My point here is that a human being is more than the power or capacity to think and perform daily tasks. In essence there is a gentle person of love hidden in the child within each of us who are adults.
The heart is the place where we meet others, suffer and rejoice with them. It is the place where we can identify and be in solidarity with them. Whenever we love we are not alone. The heart is the place of our own "oneness" with others. The way of the heart implies a choice. We can choose to take this path and treat people as people and not just mindless machines.
(Example)... ("We can see a cook working in a hotel simply as a cook, "Or" we can look at that person with a heart; who has children and a wife or husband and who might be living a difficult painful relationship, and who is in need of understanding and kindness"). To treat each person as a person means that we are concerned for them, that we listen to them, and love them, and want them to become more whole, free, truthful, and responsible.
To speak about the human heart is not to speak of vaguely defined emotions, but to speak of the very core of our being. At the core of our heart, we all know we can be strengthened and rendered more truthful and more alive. Our hearts can become hard as stone or tender as flesh. We have to create situations where our hearts can be fortified and nourished. In this way, we can be more sensitive to others, to their needs, their cries, their inner pain, their tenderness, their needs of love, and their gifts of love.
Our hearts however; are never totally pure. People can cry out to be loved especially if as children that were not loved. There are married relationships that are loving "yet" unhealthy because they are a flight from truth and from responsibility. They are unhealthy because one is too frightened to challenge one's lover. These are signs of the immature heart. An immature heart can lead another person to depression and death. It is only once a heart has become mature in love that it can take the road of insecurity, putting its trust in God.
It is the "Heart" that can make wise decisions and has learned to discern and take risks that bring life. It can meet people inside and outside of the place of belonging. It can meet people who have been rejected or excluded. It is the heart that helps us to discover the common humanity that links us all.
That is even stronger than all that bonds us together as part of a specific group. The heart then, forgoes the need to control others. The free heart frees others. Heart-to-heart relationships where God is present are more important than the approbation of society or of a group.
Belonging to a group is important; it is the "earth" in which we grow. Sometimes however; we have to fore-go group approval and even accept rejection, if it should happen, in order to follow what the ancients called in Latin; "Scienta Cordis", the science of the heart, which gives inner strength to put truth, flowing from experience, over the need for approval.
The science of the heart permits us to be vulnerable with others, not to fear them, but listen to them, to see their beauty and value, to understand them in all theirs fears, needs, and hopes, even if that means tactfully challenging them if need be.
The science of the heart permits us to accept others just as they are, and to believe that they can grow to greater beauty and wisdom. the mature heart does not seek to impose faith.
The mature heart listens for what another's heart is called to be. It no longer judges or condemns. It is a heart of forgiveness. Such a heart is a compassionate heart that sees the presence of God in others. It lets itself be led by others into uncharted land. It is the heart that calls us to grow, to change, to evolve, and become more fully human.
Apprehending FORGIVENESS In The Aftermath Of Rape
FORGIVENESS- It's Within God's Gentle Power And Ours
For each one us who are rape victims trying to apprehend true reconciliation in most cases
we need a force that transcends both the oppressed and oppressor. ("As a last resort, for
most of us we cannot define what constitutes our total humanity. In reality it transcends us.")
I think that we all tend to wear masks, the mask of superiority, and some of us the
masks of inferiority, and the mask of worthlessness especially for those of us who know
and feel what it is to be victimized. It is not easy to let our masks come off
("or our walls of defence to come down")...to discover the little child hidden inside us
who yearns for the light of hope and love and who fears being hurt.
The concept of forgiveness however; implies the removal of all those masks,
and entering into a vulnerable acceptance of who we ("truly") are.
The realization that yes; we have been hurt and yes; we have sometimes hurt others.
Forgiveness of ourselves, then, implies an acceptance of our true value.
The loss of a false self-image, if it is an image of superiority, or the need to hide the shame
and the brokenness of our heart that most often causes anguish and inner pain.
We can only except this pain if we discover our true self "beneath" all
those masks and realize that if we are broken, we are also more beautiful
than we ever dared to suspect. When we realize our brokenness in this
manner, we don't have to fall into depression and despair.
When we see our true beauty inside as human beings; we do not have to become
proud as peacocks. Seeing our own brokenness and beauty allows us to recognize,
hidden under the brokenness and self-centredness of others, their beauty,
their value, and their sacredness.
I realize that this discovery is sometimes a leap in the dark, a blessed moment,
a moment of grace, a moment of enlightment that comes in a personal meeting
and relationship with the God of Love, who reveals to those who try to be
receptively meek of heart, that we are His beloved and so is everyone else.
When we have this earnest desire to struggle and grow for wholeness in ourselves,
in others, in our communities, and the world, and as we desire to be free in order
to free others from their prison of pain and victim hood, a new energy is born within us.
An energy that flows freely from God. It is as though we were crossing the Red Sea
from slavery to freedom. It is then that we can start to live the pain of loss and
accept anguish because a new love and consciousness of self are being given to us.
Looking back to the time of Jesus; his teachings and his invitation to love one's
enemies must have appeared dangerously utopian to the Galileans as I'm sure it is
for many even in present day. Maybe it was only when they saw him standing up to
the religious leaders of his day, pursuing a courageous and dangerous course of love,
truth, and the liberation of the oppressed, that some of his followers began to understand
that this was a new way to struggle for peace and to break the seemingly
unending chain of human oppression.
Loving our enemies means to see them as individuals who are perhaps caught up in
a cycle of fear, and of oppression, and in their weak character traits and need for power,
but who are individuals nonetheless and are, beneath everything sacred and precious.
Their secret person is hidden behind walls of fear. To love them is to hope and yearn that
instead of living a form of self-destruction, locked up in their own pride and power,
hoping they can be liberated.
On the night before he died, Jesus knelt humbly down before his disciples, washes their feet,
and called them to do the same. Was it not because Jesus knew how power can be used to
crush and enslave people, rather than to empower and free all sinners ?
Indeed; I think we all need to discover this new force of love and kindly friendship of
forgiveness that comes from God. This vision of love and forgiveness is humanly possible.
Years ago I recall this inspiring book I read about the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944.
A group of men stood waiting to be executed. Suddenly; a man stepped forward and volunteered
to replace one of the men who had been condemned to death. The name of the man taking his place,
was a priest...Father Maximilian Kolbe. The German commandant was startled, but he allowed the priest
to take one of the prisoners place. So the priest joined the group of men in the bunker, where he helped
each prisoner make their final passage to death. Before closing the bunker door the guards took the priest
aside to observe the prisoners death. After that they took the priest and later shot him in a firing squad.
By doing this the priest was bearing witness that love is stronger than death.
More recently in 1996 in Algeria a Christian monk was murdered along with six of his brother monks.
They had refused to leave their monastery in a dangerous and unprotected area to bear witness to
God to others who lived there no matter what their religion. Sometime before the monk's death he
entrusted a letter to a village friend to be sent to his mother in the event of his death.
In the letter he gives thanks : ("In this "thank you" which is said for everything in my life,
I certainly include you mother, friends of yesterday and today, and you mom, friend of my final moment.
without you mom I would not be aware of the values of life. Yes mom; for you I want to say a heartfelt
thank you because you have helped me find faith in God. May we meet again in Paradise as two blessed
sinners that forgave each other for all our weaknesses and faults. I'm sure that is what God wanted from
both of us. Till we meet again Love Cherge").
Now there is a supreme example and gift. The gift of forgiveness !
Jesus’ invitation to love our enemies is also a promise, true for Christians and non Christians alike.
What we cannot do by ourselves, we can do with this inner power of the Spirit, which transforms
our hearts of stone, founded on fear and pain, into the hearts of human flesh, open and vulnerable to others.
Through the gift of God's Spirit we receive a new power that humbly permits us to stand firm in love.
To forgive is to break down the walls of hostility that separate us, and bring each other out of anguish,
of loneliness, fear, and chaos into oneness. This oneness is born when we walk in mutual trust, and
acceptance, and the freedom to be ourselves in our uniqueness and beauty. The freedom to
exercise our talents and gifts. We need no longer be contained or held back by fear, prejudices,
or the need to prove ourselves. We need this sense of oneness and belonging which is necessary
for opening our hearts in this needing of each other. Accompanying each other whether we are
weak or strong, capable or not. This oneness and belonging need not bring feelings of superiority
if we are walking towards "inner freedom". It should be important to us not to exclude the weak,
the needy, and those who are different, because they all have a secret power that opens up
people's hearts and leads them to compassion and mutual trust.
This oneness and belonging becomes a song of gratitude for each one of us.
Of course it takes time and patience. But are we not all called to take this journey in life ?
I believe it's necessary if we want to become fully human, to conquer divisions and oppression and to work for peace.
If each of us together begins this journey today and has the courage to forgive and be forgiven, we will no longer
be governed by are hurts. Wherever we may be...in our families, our work places, our friends, or in places of
worship or of leisure...we can all rise up and be agents of a new land of peace.
But let us not put our sights too high. We do not have to be saviours of this world.
We are simply human beings; enfolded in weakness and in hope, all called together to change
our world one human heart at a time.
For each one us who are rape victims trying to apprehend true reconciliation in most cases
we need a force that transcends both the oppressed and oppressor. ("As a last resort, for
most of us we cannot define what constitutes our total humanity. In reality it transcends us.")
I think that we all tend to wear masks, the mask of superiority, and some of us the
masks of inferiority, and the mask of worthlessness especially for those of us who know
and feel what it is to be victimized. It is not easy to let our masks come off
("or our walls of defence to come down")...to discover the little child hidden inside us
who yearns for the light of hope and love and who fears being hurt.
The concept of forgiveness however; implies the removal of all those masks,
and entering into a vulnerable acceptance of who we ("truly") are.
The realization that yes; we have been hurt and yes; we have sometimes hurt others.
Forgiveness of ourselves, then, implies an acceptance of our true value.
The loss of a false self-image, if it is an image of superiority, or the need to hide the shame
and the brokenness of our heart that most often causes anguish and inner pain.
We can only except this pain if we discover our true self "beneath" all
those masks and realize that if we are broken, we are also more beautiful
than we ever dared to suspect. When we realize our brokenness in this
manner, we don't have to fall into depression and despair.
When we see our true beauty inside as human beings; we do not have to become
proud as peacocks. Seeing our own brokenness and beauty allows us to recognize,
hidden under the brokenness and self-centredness of others, their beauty,
their value, and their sacredness.
I realize that this discovery is sometimes a leap in the dark, a blessed moment,
a moment of grace, a moment of enlightment that comes in a personal meeting
and relationship with the God of Love, who reveals to those who try to be
receptively meek of heart, that we are His beloved and so is everyone else.
When we have this earnest desire to struggle and grow for wholeness in ourselves,
in others, in our communities, and the world, and as we desire to be free in order
to free others from their prison of pain and victim hood, a new energy is born within us.
An energy that flows freely from God. It is as though we were crossing the Red Sea
from slavery to freedom. It is then that we can start to live the pain of loss and
accept anguish because a new love and consciousness of self are being given to us.
Looking back to the time of Jesus; his teachings and his invitation to love one's
enemies must have appeared dangerously utopian to the Galileans as I'm sure it is
for many even in present day. Maybe it was only when they saw him standing up to
the religious leaders of his day, pursuing a courageous and dangerous course of love,
truth, and the liberation of the oppressed, that some of his followers began to understand
that this was a new way to struggle for peace and to break the seemingly
unending chain of human oppression.
Loving our enemies means to see them as individuals who are perhaps caught up in
a cycle of fear, and of oppression, and in their weak character traits and need for power,
but who are individuals nonetheless and are, beneath everything sacred and precious.
Their secret person is hidden behind walls of fear. To love them is to hope and yearn that
instead of living a form of self-destruction, locked up in their own pride and power,
hoping they can be liberated.
On the night before he died, Jesus knelt humbly down before his disciples, washes their feet,
and called them to do the same. Was it not because Jesus knew how power can be used to
crush and enslave people, rather than to empower and free all sinners ?
Indeed; I think we all need to discover this new force of love and kindly friendship of
forgiveness that comes from God. This vision of love and forgiveness is humanly possible.
Years ago I recall this inspiring book I read about the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944.
A group of men stood waiting to be executed. Suddenly; a man stepped forward and volunteered
to replace one of the men who had been condemned to death. The name of the man taking his place,
was a priest...Father Maximilian Kolbe. The German commandant was startled, but he allowed the priest
to take one of the prisoners place. So the priest joined the group of men in the bunker, where he helped
each prisoner make their final passage to death. Before closing the bunker door the guards took the priest
aside to observe the prisoners death. After that they took the priest and later shot him in a firing squad.
By doing this the priest was bearing witness that love is stronger than death.
More recently in 1996 in Algeria a Christian monk was murdered along with six of his brother monks.
They had refused to leave their monastery in a dangerous and unprotected area to bear witness to
God to others who lived there no matter what their religion. Sometime before the monk's death he
entrusted a letter to a village friend to be sent to his mother in the event of his death.
In the letter he gives thanks : ("In this "thank you" which is said for everything in my life,
I certainly include you mother, friends of yesterday and today, and you mom, friend of my final moment.
without you mom I would not be aware of the values of life. Yes mom; for you I want to say a heartfelt
thank you because you have helped me find faith in God. May we meet again in Paradise as two blessed
sinners that forgave each other for all our weaknesses and faults. I'm sure that is what God wanted from
both of us. Till we meet again Love Cherge").
Now there is a supreme example and gift. The gift of forgiveness !
Jesus’ invitation to love our enemies is also a promise, true for Christians and non Christians alike.
What we cannot do by ourselves, we can do with this inner power of the Spirit, which transforms
our hearts of stone, founded on fear and pain, into the hearts of human flesh, open and vulnerable to others.
Through the gift of God's Spirit we receive a new power that humbly permits us to stand firm in love.
To forgive is to break down the walls of hostility that separate us, and bring each other out of anguish,
of loneliness, fear, and chaos into oneness. This oneness is born when we walk in mutual trust, and
acceptance, and the freedom to be ourselves in our uniqueness and beauty. The freedom to
exercise our talents and gifts. We need no longer be contained or held back by fear, prejudices,
or the need to prove ourselves. We need this sense of oneness and belonging which is necessary
for opening our hearts in this needing of each other. Accompanying each other whether we are
weak or strong, capable or not. This oneness and belonging need not bring feelings of superiority
if we are walking towards "inner freedom". It should be important to us not to exclude the weak,
the needy, and those who are different, because they all have a secret power that opens up
people's hearts and leads them to compassion and mutual trust.
This oneness and belonging becomes a song of gratitude for each one of us.
Of course it takes time and patience. But are we not all called to take this journey in life ?
I believe it's necessary if we want to become fully human, to conquer divisions and oppression and to work for peace.
If each of us together begins this journey today and has the courage to forgive and be forgiven, we will no longer
be governed by are hurts. Wherever we may be...in our families, our work places, our friends, or in places of
worship or of leisure...we can all rise up and be agents of a new land of peace.
But let us not put our sights too high. We do not have to be saviours of this world.
We are simply human beings; enfolded in weakness and in hope, all called together to change
our world one human heart at a time.
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