In Yoke

According to Helminski and Sufi tradition(also Christian spirituality), there are three things that are essential for the beginning and the sustaining of our journey, or pilgrimage to obtain the ultimate Meaning and Purpose for our lives. This is necessary to answer the question, “Why am I here?” The understanding and experience of repentance, faith and grace are crucial as we seek to embark on the journey to true meaning and purpose. Repentance , a word used frequently by Christ in the Gospels, as Helminski teaches in “Living Presence”, means to turn, or re-orient oneself, in a whole new direction, toward a new focus or center . In the Gospels it has come to mean to “live along another “axis of being”, i.e. the vertical dimension, oriented towards the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’. Once we have been turned inwardly towards that new form of human existence, in order to begin the journey, we need to appropriate Faith . Faith is much more than mere belief. It can be defined as a fundamental...

"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?”—Jesus the Christ   This is a valid question. Why don’t I simply take what he commands me to do, without hesitation? What are some things I randomly disobey? One example is my ongoing neglect of the needs of others, specifically the poor, and also I do not vigilantly attend to the condition of my own heart before God. Jesus chided the Pharisees about this in Luke 11:38-44. They were criticizing him for not meticulously washing before dinner…looking for a way to put him down, like most all self righteous, super-religious folks do. “Turn both your pockets and your hearts inside out and give generously to the poor; then your lives will be clean, not just your dishes and your hands.” ( The Message, Luke 11:41) Am I truly concerned about the needs of those who are poor all about me? How often do I really turn my heart inside out? How often do I face the facts about the thoughts and intentions ...

“In order to come to pleasure you have not, you must go by a way that you will enjoy not. To come to the knowledge that you have not, you must go by a way that you know not. To come to a possession that you have not, you must go by a way in which you possess not. To come to be what you are not, you must go by a way that you are not.”~ St. John of the Cross In the flesh, we want to BE somebody. Our small self longs for recognition—as a great singer, a great writer, a great athlete. The obscure spiritual seeker, Mary Mrozovski, spoke of “letting go”, as a spiritual practice. Her little mantra goes like this: “I let go of my need for esteem and affection”, “I let go of my need for security and survival”, “I let go of my need for power and control.” In the final analysis, realizing that I cannot find wholeness in knowing God within, if I hold on to anything other than Christ within me. I must let go of myself, so I can focus on life in Jesus.

St. John of the Cross was definitely one who was into “the slaying of the ego”. When I first came across his writing, I was put off by the blunt language about how “I am nothing”. It offended my fragile and self aggrandizing egocentrism. That was over ten years ago. Now I know that by dying to my self—my ego centric, worldly focused  life, I can actually begin to absorb and be filled by the very Spirit of the Living One. This is a priceless treasure. But… It is “a way that we know not.” “ In order to come to pleasure you have not, you must go by a way that you will enjoy not. To come to the knowledge that you have not, you must go by a way that you know not. To come to the possession that you have not, you must go by a way that you possess not. To come to be what you are not, you must go by a way that you are not.” It is complete change. metanoia —change of mind. This change is unknown, until the death to self happens. Suffering seems to be the bridge through which thi...

Just as a flower gives out its fragrance to whomsoever approaches or uses it, so love from within us radiates towards everybody and manifests as spontaneous service.                 ~Swami Ramdas Prior to redemption, and in the practice of working out my salvation, I have found it difficult to be compassionate towards others for the simple reason that selfishly most of my energy for sensitivity is directed towards myself. So, at the instruction and assignment of the Master, I have been working on an experiment: Perhaps the less I dwell on myself, the more my sensitivity will open out to the needs and feelings of others. Every time then when I hurt someone and then grieve inside because of it, I am again enrolling in and attending a valuable course in Jesus’ seminary- on sensitivity. It is a course that informs and teaches at the deepest and most personal level, the experiential, and it is infinitely...

No one hath so cordial a feeling of the Passion of Christ, as one who hath suffered the like himself.                    -Thomas a Kempis The principle underlying the Passion of Christ is that out of his infinite mercy, the Lord has taken our suffering upon himself. As long as any living creature is in pain, so is Jesus, for he lives at the heart of all(That “Divine Spark”). Wherever violence breaks out, no matter how cleverly we try to justify it, we are crucifying the spirit of Christ. Patience and passion both come from a Latin word meaning to suffer or endure. When we speak of the Passion of Christ, we are recalling the suffering he endured on the cross. Whenever we practice patience - cheerfully bearing with somebody who is irascible, or enduring a discomfort of our own  rather than imposing it on others - in a small way we are embracing the principle of the Passion . (This...

Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. -I Corinthians In the movie,  My Fair Lady, Rex Harrison sings in exasperation: "Why can't a woman be more like a man? . . . Why can't a woman be like me?" It shouldn’t be surprising that this was a very popular song in a popular movie back in the fifties and sixties. In every emotional relationship, even if we don't put it into words, each of us has a rigid set of expectations which requires the other person to act and think in a particular way. Interestingly enough, the way we expect them to act is not that person's way; it is our own. When he or she acts differently, we get surprised and feel irritated or disappointed. If we could see behind the scenes, in the mind, this sort of encounter would make a good comedy. Here I am, relating not to you but to my idea of you, and I get irritated because you insist on acting your ...