ON LOVE; PART DCLIX
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GoodWill IS Love in Action
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FIRST IS THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).
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WHAT THEN IS LOVE? In a general sense love is benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men.
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PLUS THE EVER IMPORTANT AND HIGH IDEAL TAUGHT TO US BY THE CHRIST: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).
In the last essay we continued with our ideas regarding the John Lennon song Imagine and we did so through the words of the Apostle James whose epistle has been our subject for several weeks now. The song came to mind as we looked belatedly at the third of the Three Spiritual Festivals that are celebrated annually outside of the organized churches as we understand them. As we have said, these festivals ARE of a more esoteric nature and are seen and observed by many in the occult community which is much maligned by the doctrinally oriented church based in a lack of understanding of the fundamental Unity of ALL. These three, the Easter Festival, the Wesak Festival and this third one that IS the Festival of the Christ ALL have a view of the reality that the Master teaches us in Love and GoodWill. While this third festival comes under several names, they ARE ALL of the same intent and are based in the teachings of the Master who gives us the ideas on Love that we are presenting at the top of our essays. Whether we see this as the Festival of the Christ, the Festival of GoodWill or the Festival of Humanity, the reality is the same as it IS in yet another name, World Invocation Day. While this IS NOT specifically pointed at the Great Invocation, this World Prayer does have the Truth of what this Festival Day IS ALL about in the return of the Christ, and the essence of Love and GoodWill flowing through the hearts and minds of men; and here we should try to see that this Love, and GoodWill which IS that Love in action, IS the purpose of the Will of God as this IS to be viewed by men in the world. This Great Invocation says:
From the point of Light within the Mind of God
Let light stream forth into the minds of men.
Let Light descend on Earth.
From the point of Love within the Heart of God
Let love stream forth into the hearts of men.
May Christ return to Earth.
From the centre where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide the little wills of men–
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.
From the centre which we call the race of men
Let the Plan of Love and Light work out
And may it seal the door where evil dwells.
Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.
We have discussed this World Prayer many times over the course of our blog posts and there IS a page in the prayers and meditations section on this as well. The ideas here are the ideas of the Christ, of GoodWill and are for the use of Humanity so that the various names given this for this time of the Full Moon of Cancer ARE ALL appropriate. We should note here in this Invocation, and in the general theme of the return of the Christ itself, that as Love streams forth into the hearts of men, as the Christ Within can express this Love through men’s form Life in this world, there comes an added measure of Christ in this Earth. It IS in this reality that we, as aspirants and disciples, can help prepare the Way for His eventual return….a return to a world where Love and GoodWill are expressed by enough men to make a difference. This IS our charge and this IS the message of the Master and His apostles throughout the New Testament: that we should Love and that we should keep his words which the apostles show us in their writings that clarify and amplify Jesus own words and which show us that in Love ALL things are considered, in the reality of this Love ALL things are accomplished according to His words.
Through ALL of the parables, through the hidden meanings of many sayings, and through the obscurity of the messages on Life by the Master and His apostles, there IS one glaring Truth that IS proclaimed and stated in many different ways, and this IS the Truth of Love. The scriptural ideas on Love begin in the law as offered to us by Moses 3500 years ago and while these were not stated as an overriding principal, they ARE the underlying keynote regarding a man’s relationships with others. The Master takes two of these ideas from Moses and elevates them the the rank of the Great Commandments which we have at the top of our essay and in this we should be able to see the reality and the intent of this Love and how it was ever intended to be the guiding influence in human relationships. As we can see by looking around the world yet today, these scriptural ideas ARE NOT understood as they were intended and, in this world where strife and of disharmony abound, many make excuses and reason out why this sense of Love CAN NOT be what we see as Jesus intent.
Much of the problem can be traced to the common understanding of this Love as an emotional and mental attraction and attachment to others and to things and pets and to activities and we should understand that this idea and this level of Love IS NOT what the Master intends us to see nor to understand. In the simplicity of the original idea from Moses the greater reality should be apparent; we read: “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:18). The very context of these words should be able to lead us away from the ideas of attraction and attachment an into the reality that this Love is the opposite of the ideas engendered by the other words used, avenge and grudge. The greater idea here IS understanding as opposed to vengeance and forgiveness as opposed to holding a grudge and in these ideas we have a major part of the intent of this Love that one should have for ALL men. Further, this IS related to us in a way that IS a preview of the Master’s more direct approach in the Golden Rule as the nature of this Love is clearly as one would Love himself.
While we can not say how this was understood in Moses day nor in the original language, we can surely say that this idea was NOT properly understood up to the time of Jesus as He finds it of great importance to stress the idea of Love into a major part of His own ministry. The Master not only elevates this commandment from 1500 years earlier to the head of the whole of the idea of commandments but he gathers with it another view of this that is yet today sorely misunderstood. This view from the Book of Deuteronomy IS written as: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) and it IS in this that the whole of one’s spiritual Life is bound. Again there IS that same lack of understanding of the idea of Love and here there IS yet another quality revealed and we should note that in this original writing the ideas of emotions and mind are missing; and, although they are understood to be there by some, this IS just because of the view of these ideas from a carnal perspective. If we can see the Soul as our very being here in this Earth and our heart as our consciousness and our awareness of Life itself, we can better understand the intent and the message. From our view there IS built in confusion in the Hebrew word nephesh which is rendered here as Soul and elsewhere as Life, as mind, as heart and even as person and this IS not unlike the similar confusion which we find in the Greek word psuche which IS also rendered in similar variety of ways. In this usage we can easily see many of the rendered ideas as we would understand them; we can see Soul and Life and person as offering us a similar reality.
The overriding reality here IS that a man should Love the Lord with ALL that he IS and that in so doing the totality of one’s focus IS upon the things of God….there IS NO room left for any other thing to Love. Here then, if this IS accomplished, ALL else is accomplished as well and it IS for this reason that this IS the First of the Great Commandments as expressed by the Master; it IS in DOING these two Great Commandments that ALL other things ARE considered done. Again however the idea of Love is misplaced in the common understanding of this idea and in the way that it IS taught as adoration, and glorification and praise and as worship. These are carnal interpretations of the reality of this Love which the Master sets straight for us in many of His words and most directly in saying that: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). This IS NOT an accidental combination of words or a combination that must be understood in any particular context; this IS simply an equation of sorts. Here we should see the equality of the ideas of keeping His words and Loving Him and we should see through these words the reality of Loving God as we KNOW that He also tells us that “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30).
And this reality IS NOT new in Jesus words as we read similar ideas in the commandments of God given through Moses centuries earlier. In the explanatory words that ARE offered as a part of the Ten Commandments we have this Truth saying: “And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:6); here the context is in the opposite of what comes upon those who DO NOT walk in the way of God. Here, in these words offered to a superstitions and barbarous people that have just been freed from four centuries of captivity in Egypt, the following should be understood; first that mercy IS the expression of the Love of God and second that this mercy IS offered to those who Love him AND who keep His commandments. Again, these two ideas are inseparable…both are required. This same reality IS repeated in Deuteronomy as a part of the repetition of the Ten Commandments and it IS worked in several times more as a part of the ancillary commandments which include those above that ARE elevated to greatness by the Master.
These ideas of Love and keeping His word ARE tied to many of the rewards offered to the Nation of Israel and it IS by walking in His ways that one can realize them and this is made clear by Joshua who offers these words to the Jews as the arrive in their promised land: “But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Joshua 22:5). Here we should see the way that Joshua has woven many ideas together including the need to Love God above ALL things and to keep His words which include ALL of the truths expressed regarding Love for one’s neighbor.
This IS the reality of Love, not the emotional and mental attachments and attractions, but the reality of Love seen in two ways; first in Love for God which IS the Truth of keeping His words….this IS how we can Love God. Second we have the reality of Love for one’s neighbor which IS to be understood as ALL men; here, while this idea of neighbor IS NOT offered clearly in scripture, it IS clarified by the nature of the law itself as we read further that: “the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:34). This IS Love for ALL men and again it IS NOT in the nature of the mental and the emotional attachments and attractions; it IS in the reality that ALL things that one would accord to himself, he should accord to ALL.
We have often said that our own spiritual pursuits begin and end in Love, in this Love that we find in the Old Testament and in the Master’s words on the same that we find in the New Testament. Much IS said regarding the law and keeping the law in some parts of the Christian church and many believe that they ARE NOT under the law but that they are under grace. If we can see this idea of grace in its proper context, we would see that it IS much like mercy, it IS the expression of this same Love, this law of Love and this “royal law” to ALL men. In the reality of True Christianity we have the words of the Master and we should see His words as the re-expression of the law and understand the reality that it IS ONLY in keeping His words, His commandments, that one can Truly Love God. We read Jesus words saying that: “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23) and in these ideas, in the reality of His words, we should see the great expansion that the Master gives us over the perceived simplicity of the law of Moses and NOT the misinterpreted ideas that many have taken from the words of the Apostle Paul.
And the Master includes Himself in the dynamic of keeping His words and the commandments, the word of God, as He says “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love” (John 15:10) and in this is the essence of our spiritual reality. In the reality of keeping the word of God and the commandments of the Master there is also offered to us a single and simple way that IS a clarification of that misunderstood notion that man IS NOT bound by the law as regards his own spiritual advancement and this IS offered to us by Paul who says:
“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:8-10).
This IS the intersection of the law and the reality of Love and we should remember here that the Master’s words on Love as well as those espoused by Moses are the law and are commandments as well. And it IS in this reality that we must live and we must try to understand the implications for ALL men which we state simply in closing today as the simple reality that says: if we can Love as the Master instructs; if we can Love ALL men and accord to ALL whatsoever we would accord to ourselves, and do so without reservation, that ALL of the other commandments are kept by this expression.
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
| Aspect |
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.
This Quote of the Day is the antithesis of glamour and illusion. In this mantram are the thoughts about ourselves and our brothers in the world that can diffuse those forces that hold a man in the world of things and prevent his spiritual progress.
Mantram of Unification
The sons of men are one and I am one with them.
I seek to love, not hate;
I seek to serve and not exact due service;
I seek to heal, not hurt.
Let pain bring due reward of light and love.
Let the Soul control the outer form, and life and all events,
And bring to light the love that underlies the happenings of the time.
Let vision come and insight.
Let the future stand revealed.
Let inner union demonstrate and outer cleavages be gone.
Let love prevail.
Let all men love.
The Mantram of Unification is a meditation and a prayer that at first affirms the unity of all men and the Brotherhood of Man based on the Fatherhood of God. The first stanza sets forth several truly Christian ideals in Unity, Love, Service and Healing. The second stanza is a invocation to the Lord and to our own Souls asking that from the pain (if there can truly be any) incurred in focusing on the Spirit and not the world will come Light and Love into our lives and that we begin to function as Souls through our conscious personalities. We ask that the spiritual control of our lives will bring to light for us the Love that underlies world events; a Love that the world oriented man will not see working out behind the scenes and also that the Love that we bring forth, individually and as a world group, can be seen by all and ultimately in all. Finally, in the last stanza we ask for those things that are needed for Love to abound. Vision and insight so that we can direct our attention properly; revelation of the future in the sense that all can see the Power of Love in the world; inner union so that we do not fall back into the world’s ways, that we faint not; and that a sense of separation, the antithesis of brotherhood, ends as we know it today. Let Love Prevail, Let All Men Love.spiritual control of our lives will bring to light for us the Love that underlies world events; a Love that the world oriented man will not see working out behind the scenes.
