ON LOVE; PART CDLXVII
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α
GoodWill IS Love in Action
ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•ΑΩ•Α
The Gospel of Thomas
These are the hidden words that the living Jesus spoke. And Didymos Judas Thomas wrote them down.
(96) Jesus [says]: “The kingdom of the Father is like [a] woman. She took a little bit of yeast. [She] hid it in dough (and) made it into huge loaves of bread. Whoever has ears should hear.“
(97) Jesus says: “The kingdom of the [Father] is like a woman who is carrying a [jar] filled with flour. While she was walking on [the] way, very distant (from home), the handle of the jar broke (and) the flour leaked out [on] the path. (But) she did not know (it); she had not noticed a problem. When she reached her house, she put the jar down on the floor (and) found it empty.“
(98) Jesus says: “The kingdom of the Father is like a person who wanted to kill a powerful person. He drew the sword in his house (and) stabbed it into the wall to test whether his hand would be strong (enough). Then he killed the powerful one.“
(99) The disciples said to him: “Your brothers and your mother are standing outside.” He said to them: “Those here, who do the will of my Father, they are my brothers and my mother. They are the ones who will enter the kingdom of my Father.“
(100) They showed Jesus a gold coin and said to him: “Caesar’s people demand taxes from us.” He said to them: “Give Caesar (the things) that are Caesar’s. Give God (the things) that are God’s. And what is mine give me.“
(101) “Whoever does not hate his [father] and his mother as I do will not be able to be a [disciple] of mine. And whoever does [not] love [his father] and his mother as I do will not be able to be a [disciple] of mine. For my mother […], but my true [mother] gave me life.” 14
In the last essay we discussed the ninety fifth saying from the Gospel of Thomas where we find a direct attack, if we can use that word, on the power of money as the Master clearly says: “If you have money, do not lend (it) out at interest. Rather, give [it] to the one from whom you will not get it (back)” or, as we read from the Interlinear Version “If have-you(pl)-money, do-not-give (at-interest). >Rather, give [it/him to-he]-who-[you(pl)-will-take() not from-his-hand“. In the interlinear we can get the feeling that the idea IS interest on both sides of this equation as we can construe these words to say that taking “not from his hand” could be in regard to interest and this would make much sense as although the ideas from Luke tell us to lend without expecting to receive, they DO NOT say that one should refuse the return. While we DO NOT KNOW the specifics of the Master’s intent in this saying from Thomas the idea IS clear in Luke where there are three points:
- “Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again“. Here is a strange combination of giving to ALL with the idea that if someone should take your goods, that this too should be considered giving.
- “And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again“. Here the idea of lending is offered and here we should see that it is in a way contrary to the previous point from the perspective that if one should ask that it should not then be a loan but a gift. Here the Master is appealing to the sensibility of the man who would be the aspirant and the disciple, the man who would separate himself from the sinner which we KNOW as the man focused in the self and the things of the self in the world.
- “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again“. Here we find the greater reality and understanding of giving as the Master puts this onto the same level of Love and GoodWill as He again shows lending to be equivalent to giving and while not going so far as the more common translations from Thomas, that one should not accept or take back the loan, we see the idea of not expecting to get back whatsoever one has loaned (Luke 6:30, 34-35).
The overriding point here IS of course that we should “take no thought” (Matthew 6:25) for this money or goods that we lend or give; they should not have any meaning to us and we can see two things here. First that in Luke and Matthew there IS NO mention of interest but there is the conversion from a loan to a gift and while this may be sometimes commonplace in the world of men individually, it is also the cause of much strife between family and friends who lend expecting a return. The second point is the inclusion of the criteria in Thomas recollection of the Master’s thoughts on this idea of money and lending as this saying begins with “If you have money“; here we should try to see the reality of giving and lending….that if one has nothing he CAN NOT give or lend. We can see this plainly in the story of the Apostles Peter and John who come across the beggar at the gate called Beautiful. This is a man who IS “lame from his mother’s womb” who was carried by others and “laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple”. Here then come Peter and John and that point of the story where the lame man asks alms of the apostles; we read on that “And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said , Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength” (Acts 3:2-7). In this we can see the greater reality of the Master’s words according to Thomas; we can see the idea of “If you have money” and understand that the apostles have NONE. At the same time we can see the reality of the Master’s words according to Luke and Matthew that we give to ALL that ask; here the apostles give that great gift of Love as healing.
While we do not often speak about personal experiences, we add here that I have heard at least two sermons on these verses and in each there is no mention ever made as to these ideas that we present here. In the one, the sermon centered upon how difficult it would be to take the lame man by the hand and just lift him up and while I do not remember the specific point, it DID NOT center upon the idea that the apostle’s had no money nor upon the Love that they offer in accord with these sayings that tell us “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” (Matthew 5:42). That other sermon centered attention upon the fact that the man was at the gate daily and that the apostles must have seen him before but did not react to him for whatever reason and, of course there IS NO scriptural reference to this, it IS but assumption; again, I CAN NOT recall the specific point made in this sermon but it DID NOT contain any of the of our ideas here about giving and Love. This Loving and giving to ALL who may ask IS NOT a part of the reality of the doctrinal teachings of the church; they DO NOT see this point but rather see and build doctrine around the idea that the Lord wants the man in the world to have plenty, to have abundance, and, again, there is NO True scriptural reference to these ideas save a few misunderstood and misrepresented sayings.
Money has infiltrated the church at every level over the last 2000 years and doctrines have been designed to protect the monied interests so that they are not seen to be doing wrong, and this IS despite the many references to money and wealth that we find in the New Testament words of Jesus. Doctrine has changed the very meaning of some of these ideas so that they point to the next man and not to the individual who should be so charged. Doctrine has diluted these ideas as well and the Truth of the Master’s words are seldom in a Sermon in their True context. The words of the Master and His apostles are changed and diluted to allow for the man in the world to have whatsoever he wants and as much as he can gain and except for gaining through outright crime ALL is OK from the church’s perspective. There is however no place that this dilution is more evident to the observer of Truth that in the commandments on Love. We do not generally get involved with current events as to do so would only dilute our True message of Love and Truth and the Life of the Disciple but here today in this subject we will do so by way citing some ideas from the Manifesto of Pope Francis which was recently released and some of the adverse comments that this received. We read just a few points as summarized by one of the news organizations:
- “How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?” writes Francis, who recently called for unused monasteries in Italy to be turned over to homeless African migrants.
- “Today everything comes under the laws of competition and the survival of the fittest, where the powerful feed upon the powerless. As a consequence, masses of people find themselves excluded and marginalized: without work, without possibilities, without any means of escape.”
- Trickle-down theories of economics were not proved, involved a “crude and naive trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power” and were likely to lead to violence rather than wealth, he argues, urging politicians to carry out ethics-based financial reform. “Money must serve, not rule!”
From these brief citations one can get the idea of the Pontiff’s theme and for those who would like to read the Pope’s words in their entirety, the manifesto can be found at this link: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium_en.html; the Pope’s ideas on economics can be found in chapter two. The reaction to the Pontiff’s words have been varied; the progressive and liberal view them as something that needed to be said and we credit the Pope for his courage in doing so. The conservative view however has been harsh and while the conservative has taken claim as that they are the more religious in America, their reaction is staunchly irreligious and contrary to the very intent of the Christ that they purport to proclaim; some of what has been said can be easily found in an internet search. From our perspective ALL seem to miss the point and the Pope’s point as his words, while an apparent attack on current day capitalism as a philosophy, are better seen as an admonition to the monied interests to SHARE and not to hoard, and to do so voluntarily. There are no easy answers here and the reality of the Master’s words remain as do as the intentional changes and dilutions that allow for the man of means to believe that he is still among the righteous and this IS yet another word that is sorely misapplied. The world IS and has been in the grips of illusion and glamour and it IS only in the prompting of one’s own Soul, perhaps awakened by words like we have here from the Pope in his bully pulpit, that we can move forward as that One Humanity.
The Master’s words on this subject are however poignantly clear; those we cite above as well as those that tell us of the perils of money and wealth and, while men can defer His words to their desired reality by inserting the Apostle Paul’s words as a substitute, they are sadly mistaken in their belief that they have found safe harbor. Paul may say that “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10) but in context and in right translation this can mean much more than the the common understanding which seems to be that so long as one is not attached to his money it is fine to have it. This is of course a contradiction of ideas as we see how money makes money in the world yet today; as we see that those with money are ever interested in what it can buy and in getting more. The converse to this IS of course that one “take no thought” (Luke 12:22). There is a single Greek word that is translated as this idea of “love of money” and this idea seems to come from the Septuagint rendering of a Greek word into this phrase from the Fourth Book of the Maccabees. There the context IS what constitutes a malevolent disposition and “love of money” is included as this Greek word in a list that also contains such ‘evils’ as “love of honor“, “love of strife“, envy and even boastfulness (4 Maccabees 1:26); these are, all of them, symptoms of that sin which is to follow in the ways of the man in the world rather that in the ways of God. Our point here however is that this idea that has been adopted by the doctrinal church as a safe harbor is but an illusion as this Greek word philarguria also means avarice and greed according to Strongs 3. This word IS rendered as “love of money” in most ALL bible translations with few exceptions, two, the Tyndale Bible and the Wycliffe Bible call this covetousness while the Douay-Rheims Bible calls this “desire of money” and the Message Bible calls this “lust for money“. Here then in the ideas of avarice and greed, of covetousness and lust, we can see much the same ideas that the Master presents to us in His many sayings and not only that created air of “love of money” which can be and is made as a safe harbor for the man of means, albeit an illusory one.
For us the ideas that we take from the words of the Master according to this saying from Thomas’ Gospel paint the proper picture for the man who Truly desires the Kingdom and discipleship and the alternative to this is the rejection of these ideas which results in a man staying in his worldly consciousness and NOT progressing whatsoever in his spiritual pursuits, and this regardless of what he may think through his focus upon his own self and his self in the world. This picture is painted for us clearly in the words of the Master, in the story of the rich young man who approaches the Master seeking eternal Life; we read:
“there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill , Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! (Mark 10:17-23).
It IS only when these words are seen as they are intended, as a Universal appeal to the hearts of men in the world rather that an isolated saying that applies to this rich young man from the gospel story, that the world will begin to change and the sense of Love and of brotherhood can come come to the forefront in the minds of men. Until then those who CAN NOT come to that reality of “take no thought” will continue to suffer this same fate, that they will find themselves as this man who “went away grieved: for he had great possessions“; this man who instead of forsaking his claim to the riches of world has forsaken his claim to the Kingdom of God. This IS the reality of the Kingdom and it IS understood that it IS difficult to attain and difficult to part with the ways of the world and it is in this understanding that the Master gives us that Truth of striving, that Truth that lifts a man out of the doldrums of carnal Life in steps and stages with the only commitment in so doing being Repentance. As we close this segment we must comment once more on the words of the Pope which are derided by the monied interests and which derision shows how boldly that they who DO have, have also that “love of money” which they would otherwise convolute and use as their own safe harbor.
We did not intend to get this far into these ideas on money and the Pope but we should try to see the relationships in ALL of these words; words that are ignored and talked against by many who believe that they are saved, that they are among the righteous, and are worthy of the Kingdom of God. These men are deluded and this delusion includes the men of the church who support these ideas of having and of abundance as their right and their privilege as church going Christians and self appointed Christian authorities. If one can see that the Master’s sayings in the gospels ARE His words and that His words and the Will of God are one as He tells us that they ARE, then this man must believe as well the Master’s ideas regarding the rich young man above as well as His indictment of ALL in that ever so simple saying posed as a rhetorical question: “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46); and, the even more poignant saying that, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
“Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13) IS the battle cry of the righteous in this controversy on money and on giving which IS ultimately a controversy on the very heart of the Christian faith…..Love. It is here that Pope Francis has taken a stand and it IS here that he must get our support; not in his doctrine pre se but in his vision of Love.
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
| Aspect of God |
Potency |
Aspect of Man |
In Relation to the Great Invocation |
In relation to the Christ |
|
GOD, The Father |
Will or Power |
Spirit or Life |
Center where the Will of God IS KNOWN |
Life |
|
Son, The Christ |
Love and Wisdom |
Soul or Christ Within |
Heart of God |
Truth |
|
Holy Spirit |
Light or Activity |
Life Within |
Mind of God |
Way |
Note on the Quote of the Day
This daily blog also has a Quote of the Day which may not be in any way related to the essay. Many of these will be from the Bible and some just prayers or meditations that may have an influence on you and are in line with the subject matter of this blog. As the quote will change daily and will not store with the post, it is repeated in this section with the book reference and comment.
We are using yet another mantram as our new Quote of the Day and this is again one that we have posted many times. Here in the form of an affirmation we should be able to understand the intent which IS to make these realities as part of our everyday thinking and our everyday understanding of our nature. Here again, as we see in our words above on the Mantram of Unification, we have the same dynamics: Love, service and healing. Here however the motivation IS more upon the idea of service and when we can see that this service is offered in Love and that this service IS one of healing we can Truly understand this affirmation.
Affirmation of the Disciple
I am a point of light within a greater Light.
I am a strand of loving energy within the stream of Love divine.
I am a point of sacrificial Fire, focussed within the fiery Will of God.
And thus I stand
I am a way by which men may achieve.
I am a source of strength, enabling them to stand.
I am a beam of light, shining upon their way.
And thus I stand.
And standing thus, revolve
And tread this way the ways of men,
And know the ways of God.
And thus I stand.
From previous posts we repeat that today’s Quote of the Day is called the Affirmation of the Disciple and is spoken from the perspective of the Soul and not from that of the man in form. It is the Soul that we are in this life on Earth, housed in this ‘temple’ of flesh and it is the Light of the Soul that must flow through this ‘temple’ in order that we may say with the Christ “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33) which is our goal and our destiny. Speaking then as the Soul we affirm our reality and true existence in God and in His Three Aspects of Light and Love and His Will. As this Light and Love and Will flow through our conscious personalities and forms we, as disciples, take on the nature of the second stanza being able to offer to the world a better way through our service and our Love for all, encouragement to righteousness through our strength of purpose, and the Light which shines in accordance with the Master’s instructions to “Let your light so shine before men” (Matthew 5:16) and illuminates the Path. Finally we realize that we are standing in this world and walking as men but, as conscious Souls in form, we know the way and the ways of God and are able to say with the Christ that “I am not of this world” (John 8:23).
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts!
- 3 Strongest Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible – 2001
- 14 The Gospel of Thomas; Translated by Stephen J. Patterson and James M. Robinson; http://gnosis.org/
