3rd Easter 2008, City of Peace

3^rd Easter

John 10: 1-21

“Yes, the truth I say to you: Anyone who does not go into the sheep through the door, but breaks into the fold elsewhere, he is a thief or robber. Only he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.

To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep respond to his voice. He calls each one by name, according to its nature, and he leads them out into the open.

When he has brought them out, he walks before them, and the sheep follow after him, for they trust his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but rather flee, because they do not know the stranger’s voice.”

Thus did Jesus reveal himself to them in pictures, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Then Jesus went on. “Yes, the truth out of the spirit I say to you. I AM the door to the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the sheep did not listen to them.

I AM the door. Anyone who enters through me will find healing and life. He learns to cross the threshold from here to beyond, and from there to here, and he will find nourishment for his soul. The thief comes only to steal, and kill and destroy. But I – I have come that they may have life, and overflowing abundance.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who works for wages, and who is no true shepherd, whose sheep are not his own, he sees the wolf coming, abandons the sheep, and flees while the wolf snatches them and scatters them. For he is only a hireling and he cares nothing for the sheep.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. I know who belongs to me, and my own recognize me, just as my Father recognizes me in the depths, and I know the being of the Father; and I offer my life for the sheep.

Other sheep have been entrusted to me who are not of this fold; I must also lead them. They too will listen to my voice, and one day there will be one flock, one Shepherd.

That is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up anew. No one can take it from me.  But in full freedom I myself offer it up. I have the power to give it away and also the power to receive it anew. That is the task given to me by my Father.”

Then there again arose a division among the people because of these words. Many of them said, “He is possessed by a demon and is out of his mind. Why do you listen to him?” Yet others said, “These are not the words of one who is possessed. After all, can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

3^rd Easter Sunday

April 6, 2008

John 10: 1-21

A door has two functions. It can open to allow us to move from one space to another. Closed, that access is denied.

In life we often find ourselves at thresholds, a new phase of life, a new job, or even the ending of something. Doors open to us—or close. We have the choice to walk through such an opening—or not. We have the choice to try to create an opening—or not.

Our soul too has its own door. It is our ability to say yes, or to say no, to what comes to meet us. Saying yes, we open our soul to what wants to enter our inner space—an event, a person, a course of action. Sometimes it is necessary to say no and to close our self to something, say, unhealthy.

This capacity to choose, to say yes or no, is a gift from the Creator, in whose image we were made and in whose image we are remodeling ourselves. It is a function of the Self. That this is so is underscored by Christ’s own self-description—My I AM is a Door.

He who functions as the great Yes and the great No, the archetype of choice, can help us in our own yes’s and no’s. Together with Christ, our choices can be healthy ones. Together with Christ our decisions can be clear and move us fully along from one inner space to another. Christ encourages us: “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes, and your ‘No’ be ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one,” He says. Mt 5:37.

One of the saints said:

We should probably pause,

and discover where we stand and if

we at least stand facing

in the most likely direction.

Have we yet left our

fallen city, have we so much

as exited the gate?

…Have you, like me,

advanced, say, several

miles, and then retraced

the same distance in reverse?

Have we come so far

as the Holy City itself,

The City of Peace?

Have we entered its open

gate, or do we stand

cowering outside, unable

to enter it?[1]

Ironically, even with regard to the soul’s own relationship to Christ, the relationship between the little door of the soul to the Great Door, there exists a paradox. He who is himself the Door of the Self, has chosen to wait outside the door of the soul’s choice, the door of our heart. He knocks and waits to be admitted. For Christ Himself respects our freedom of choice. With Him too, our soul faces a choice. Will our heart choose to say yes, and open the door to Him? Will our heart say yes and cross the threshold into the space of His great heart, into His City of Peace?

www.thechristiancommunity.org

---

[1] Dorotheos of Gaza (c. 490- c.560, “Where We Are”, in Love’s Immensity, Scott Cairns, p. 66.

3rd Easter 2009, Another's Soul-Gate

3^rd Easter

John 10: 1-21

“Yes, the truth I say to you: Anyone who does not go into the sheep through the door, but breaks into the fold elsewhere, he is a thief or robber. Only he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.

To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep respond to his voice. He calls each one by name, according to its nature, and he leads them out into the open.

When he has brought them out, he walks before them, and the sheep follow after him, for they trust his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but rather flee, because they do not know the stranger’s voice.”

Thus did Jesus reveal himself to them in pictures, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Then Jesus went on. “Yes, the truth out of the spirit I say to you. I AM the door to the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the sheep did not listen to them.

I AM the door. Anyone who enters through me will find healing and life. He learns to cross the threshold from here to beyond, and from there to here, and he will find nourishment for his soul. The thief comes only to steal, and kill and destroy. But I – I have come that they may have life, and overflowing abundance.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who works for wages, and who is no true shepherd, whose sheep are not his own, he sees the wolf coming, abandons the sheep, and flees while the wolf snatches them and scatters them. For he is only a hireling and he cares nothing for the sheep.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. I know who belongs to me, and my own recognize me, just as my Father recognizes me in the depths, and I know the being of the Father; and I offer my life for the sheep.

Other sheep have been entrusted to me who are not of this fold; I must also lead them. They too will listen to my voice, and one day there will be one flock, one Shepherd.

That is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up anew. No one can take it from me.  But in full freedom I myself offer it up. I have the power to give it away and also the power to receive it anew. That is the task given to me by my Father.”

Then there again arose a division among the people because of these words. Many of them said, “He is possessed by a demon and is out of his mind. Why do you listen to him?” Yet others said, “These are not the words of one who is possessed. After all, can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

3^rd Easter Sunday

April 26, 2009

John 10: 1 – 21

“Anyone who does not go into the sheep through the door, but breaks into the fold elsewhere is a thief or robber. Only he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.” John 10: 1, 2

The gospels speak in symbolic language, the language of pictures. This parable is clearly speaking not only about how to care for lambs and ewes. It is also talking about how to care for the souls of others.

Christ describes first of all a walled communal sheep pen with a door. There is a doorkeeper. The shepherd approaches. The doorkeeper opens to him. The sheep who belong to the shepherd recognize his voice and follow him out to pasture.

On the level of soul, one could imagine that the sheep within walls are all the aspects of a single human being. There is a doorkeeper in us that opens and closes to the approach of another. Perhaps the doorkeeper is our fate or destiny; perhaps it is also that part of us that decides to pay attention to what is approaching us from without. It is that in us which discerns whose voice is calling us, and what the quality of that voice is. If something in us recognizes the voice as something familiar and caring, as something we belong to, we will emerge from our walls and join.

We would do well to approach other souls in the manner of a caring shepherd who wants to nourish them, rather than steal or possess.

This is important not only for them, but also for us. For with Christ, something in history changed dramatically. He Himself has become the true shepherd of our souls, the one who guides our destiny and leads us to what we need. He has replaced the institutions of family, tribe, nation and race.  At the same time He Himself, the true I AM, has become in each human soul the doorway, that which opens and closes, that which pays attention, that which grants admission, or not.

We would do well to approach others in His spirit; to wait before the door of another’s soul until Christ, the gatekeeper in them, allows us admittance. For Christ is now the keeper of human destiny, the guardian over human decisions. To go around Him, to coerce, manipulate, to pressure, to ignore the closed gate, is to break and enter, to steal and possess another’s choice, their destiny.

This is the case whether the soul’s gate is another’s, or our own. For to some extent, the higher guiding aspect of our destiny also stands outside the door, waiting for the time to ripen, waiting for us to open the door, waiting for us to recognize the voice of Christ calling us forth. His voice is the voice who leads us out into the Father’s open fields. He lays down His life to protect us from the destructive forces that would tear and scatter our souls. He it is who brings us to nourishment and bids us live.

www.thechristiancommunity.org

3rd Easter 2010, Strength to Deeply Love

3^rd Easter

Sanz-Cardona

John 10: 1-21

“Yes, the truth I say to you: Anyone who does not go into the sheep through the door, but breaks into the fold elsewhere, he is a thief or robber. Only he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.

To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep respond to his voice. He calls each one by name, according to its nature, and he leads them out into the open.

When he has brought them out, he walks before them, and the sheep follow after him, for they trust his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but rather flee, because they do not know the stranger’s voice.”

Thus did Jesus reveal himself to them in pictures, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Then Jesus went on. “Yes, the truth out of the spirit I say to you. I AM the door to the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the sheep did not listen to them.

I AM the door. Anyone who enters through me will find healing and life. He learns to cross the threshold from here to beyond, and from there to here, and he will find nourishment for his soul. The thief comes only to steal, and kill and destroy. But I – I have come that they may have life, and overflowing abundance.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who works for wages, and who is no true shepherd, whose sheep are not his own, he sees the wolf coming, abandons the sheep, and flees while the wolf snatches them and scatters them. For he is only a hireling and he cares nothing for the sheep.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. I know who belongs to me, and my own recognize me, just as my Father recognizes me in the depths, and I know the being of the Father; and I offer my life for the sheep.

Other sheep have been entrusted to me who are not of this fold; I must also lead them. They too will listen to my voice, and one day there will be one flock, one Shepherd.

That is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up anew. No one can take it from me.  But in full freedom I myself offer it up. I have the power to give it away and also the power to receive it anew. That is the task given to me by my Father.”

Then there again arose a division among the people because of these words. Many of them said, “He is possessed by a demon and is out of his mind. Why do you listen to him?” Yet others said, “These are not the words of one who is possessed. After all, can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

3^rd Easter

April 18, 2010

John 10: 1-21

A doorway is an opening that leads from one space to another. The door can either open or close off the access. In our everyday lives we encounter many doors; not only the physical ones in rooms and buildings, but also the portals between one state of soul and another.

One such doorway is waking and sleeping. At night we are meant to move calmly and easily through the doorway of sleep. The doorway to our earthly concerns closes behind us, and we move out into the starry pastures where our souls are nourished and our bodies refreshed. And then, at the right time, we are called back to our earthly home.

But sometimes fear and worry, clinging to earthly concerns, can hold us back at the gateway to sleep, or bring us rushing back too soon.

At the beginning of our earthly lives, we stood before a similar portal. We were called into life, onto earthly fields. And at the end we will be called back again to our heavenly home.

Josephine Wall

Christ is the one who calls us to both our homes, the earthly one and the heavenly. For He Himself is at home both here on the earth and in the starry expanses. He is the one who leads us to the thresholds of sleep and of life. He is the one who opens the door. Day after day, night after night, life after life, we can follow His call. He walks in the spirit ahead of us. We can trust in the calling of His voice. For His is the voice that summons our deepest self. His is the voice of nurture, the voice of the purest, most accepting, all-forgiving love. 

So, without fear, we can cross all thresholds, saying with the poet,

I sleep where I will

wake with the

strength to

deeply

love….[1]

www.thechristiancommunity.org

---

[1] Theresa of Avila, (1515-1582), “Clarity is Freedom” in Love Poems from God, Daniel Ladinsky, p. 279

3rd Easter 2011, Doorkeeper Opens

3^rd Easter

John 10: 1-21

“Yes, the truth I say to you: Anyone who does not go into the sheep through the door, but breaks into the fold elsewhere, he is a thief or robber. Only he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.

To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep respond to his voice. He calls each one by name, according to its nature, and he leads them out into the open.

When he has brought them out, he walks before them, and the sheep follow after him, for they trust his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but rather flee, because they do not know the stranger’s voice.”

Thus did Jesus reveal himself to them in pictures, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Then Jesus went on. “Yes, the truth out of the spirit I say to you. I AM the door to the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the sheep did not listen to them.

I AM the door. Anyone who enters through me will find healing and life. He learns to cross the threshold from here to beyond, and from there to here, and he will find nourishment for his soul. The thief comes only to steal, and kill and destroy. But I – I have come that they may have life, and overflowing abundance.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who works for wages, and who is no true shepherd, whose sheep are not his own, he sees the wolf coming, abandons the sheep, and flees while the wolf snatches them and scatters them. For he is only a hireling and he cares nothing for the sheep.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. I know who belongs to me, and my own recognize me, just as my Father recognizes me in the depths, and I know the being of the Father; and I offer my life for the sheep.

Other sheep have been entrusted to me who are not of this fold; I must also lead them. They too will listen to my voice, and one day there will be one flock, one Shepherd.

That is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up anew. No one can take it from me.  But in full freedom I myself offer it up. I have the power to give it away and also the power to receive it anew. That is the task given to me by my Father.”

Then there again arose a division among the people because of these words. Many of them said, “He is possessed by a demon and is out of his mind. Why do you listen to him?” Yet others said, “These are not the words of one who is possessed. After all, can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

3^rd Easter

May 8, 2011

John 10: 1-20

Observing our breath, we know that at the end of an exhale, there is a null point, a kind of a doorway we pass through in order begin inhaling. We pass through this gateway, we inhale all we can; and then we pass through another null point, another gateway, and begin to exhale again.

With each inhalation we take in the world; at the same time, on a subtle level, we come to ourselves. In exhaling, we give something of ourselves (perhaps our words) to the world. On a subtle level, we let go of ourselves as we exhale.

Birth and death are also gateways, part of a larger cycle of breathing. When we are born, those attending anxiously await our first intake of breath and its resulting cry. And at the end of our earthly life comes the final sigh as we exhale our soul and spirit out of our body and into the Father’s green fields.

In today’s reading, Christ calls himself the gateway, the door. He leads us through the gateway from breath to breath, through door after door, keeping us alive. And He is also the gateway into and out of earthly life. ‘Anyone who enters through Me will find healing and life, He says. He learns to cross the threshold from here to beyond and he will find nourishment for his soul….’ John 10:9

The astonishing fact is that Christ himself breathes. He became a human being in order to weave together human breathing with greater cosmic rhythms, to weave together human necessity with inner choice. He says, ‘I lay down my life to take it up anew. No one can take it from me. But in full freedom I myself offer it up. I have the power to give it away and also the power to receive it anew.’ John 10:18

During the Act of Consecration of Man we hear in sevenfold rhythm ‘Christ in you.’ We breathe Him in; he is the life force, keeping us alive. He is the healing force in the balancing of inner and outer. We can breathe out his peace, his love, his encouragement, into the world. With Him we walk safely through door after door after door.

www.thechristiancommunity.org

3rd Easter 2012, Greater Self

3^rd Easter

John 10: 1-21

“Yes, the truth I say to you: Anyone who does not go into the sheep through the door, but breaks into the fold elsewhere, he is a thief or robber. Only he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.

To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep respond to his voice. He calls each one by name, according to its nature, and he leads them out into the open.

When he has brought them out, he walks before them, and the sheep follow after him, for they trust his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but rather flee, because they do not know the stranger’s voice.”

Thus did Jesus reveal himself to them in pictures, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Then Jesus went on. “Yes, the truth out of the spirit I say to you. I AM the door to the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the sheep did not listen to them.

I AM the door. Anyone who enters through me will find healing and life. He learns to cross the threshold from here to beyond, and from there to here, and he will find nourishment for his soul. The thief comes only to steal, and kill and destroy. But I – I have come that they may have life, and overflowing abundance.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who works for wages, and who is no true shepherd, whose sheep are not his own, he sees the wolf coming, abandons the sheep, and flees while the wolf snatches them and scatters them. For he is only a hireling and he cares nothing for the sheep.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. I know who belongs to me, and my own recognize me, just as my Father recognizes me in the depths, and I know the being of the Father; and I offer my life for the sheep.

Other sheep have been entrusted to me who are not of this fold; I must also lead them. They too will listen to my voice, and one day there will be one flock, one Shepherd.

That is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up anew. No one can take it from me.  But in full freedom I myself offer it up. I have the power to give it away and also the power to receive it anew. That is the task given to me by my Father.”

Then there again arose a division among the people because of these words. Many of them said, “He is possessed by a demon and is out of his mind. Why do you listen to him?” Yet others said, “These are not the words of one who is possessed. After all, can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

3^rd Easter

April 22, 2012

Holman Hunt

John 10: 1-21

Some places have a person stationed at the door. They give a friendly greeting to whoever belongs there. And if necessary, they keep out the undesirable elements, or at least keep an eye on them.

We ourselves also have a gatekeeper. It is positioned at the boundaries of our selves. It helps us distinguish ‘me’ from ‘not me’. It decides if those who want to enter our lives, our souls, are there for a legitimate purpose, or whether they are ‘thieves and robbers’, that is, those who would steal our treasures: our time, our energy, our resources. A strong and discerning gatekeeper is not long deceived by appearances or empty promises.

This gatekeeper is our ‘I’, our Self. Its task is to pay attention, and to make decisions. But sometimes it is distracted, or just plain asleep on the job. And as we all know, its decisions are fallible.

Christ is humankind’s Greater Self. He has nothing but our own truly best interests in mind. He models how all respectful human beings should interact:   ‘Here I am, he says. I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in….’ Rev. 3:20

His voice resonates in the deepest part of our being. And he waits respectfully for us to pay attention, and to decide to open. And when we do, he says ‘I will come in… and eat with that person, and they with me.’ He brings our souls guidance, nourishment and strength. He is the great gatekeeper ,watching out for us, guiding us all.

www.thechristiancommunity.org

3rd Easter 2014, My Soul a Shepherd

3^rd Easter

John 10: 1-21

“Yes, the truth I say to you: Anyone who does not go into the sheep through the door, but breaks into the fold elsewhere, he is a thief or robber. Only he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.

To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep respond to his voice. He calls each one by name, according to its nature, and he leads them out into the open.

When he has brought them out, he walks before them, and the sheep follow after him, for they trust his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but rather flee, because they do not know the stranger’s voice.”

Thus did Jesus reveal himself to them in pictures, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Then Jesus went on. “Yes, the truth out of the spirit I say to you. I AM the door to the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the sheep did not listen to them.

I AM the door. Anyone who enters through me will find healing and life. He learns to cross the threshold from here to beyond, and from there to here, and he will find nourishment for his soul. The thief comes only to steal, and kill and destroy. But I – I have come that they may have life, and overflowing abundance.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who works for wages, and who is no true shepherd, whose sheep are not his own, he sees the wolf coming, abandons the sheep, and flees while the wolf snatches them and scatters them. For he is only a hireling and he cares nothing for the sheep.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. I know who belongs to me, and my own recognize me, just as my Father recognizes me in the depths, and I know the being of the Father; and I offer my life for the sheep.

Other sheep have been entrusted to me who are not of this fold; I must also lead them. They too will listen to my voice, and one day there will be one flock, one Shepherd.

That is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up anew. No one can take it from me.  But in full freedom I myself offer it up. I have the power to give it away and also the power to receive it anew. That is the task given to me by my Father.”

Then there again arose a division among the people because of these words. Many of them said, “He is possessed by a demon and is out of his mind. Why do you listen to him?” Yet others said, “These are not the words of one who is possessed. After all, can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

3^rd Easter

May 4, 2014

John 10:1-21

One of the earliest art images of Christ is that of the good shepherd. He is shown carrying a sheep across His shoulders.

Christ says of Himself that He is a good shepherd. A good shepherd is one that devotes himself to the welfare of his charges, so devoted that he will fight the devouring predator to save them. A good shepherd not only protects the whole flock; he also knows each individual sheep by name. He guides all to pasture and back home again, regardless of cost to himself. In fact, he bears responsibility for a wider flock, flocks in other communities.

Conducting a life in Christ means that we too can be good shepherds. We can pay loving attention to each individual in the flock of our friends, family and acquaintances. We can keep a sharp lookout for the destructive social forces that attack and scatter.

And we can also be good shepherds of all the various voices and archetypes within ourselves. We can pay loving attention to all the inner voices that speak in our souls; we can deflect the negative inner predator who divides and devours our energies. In the words of George Herbert:

….

My soul's a shepherd too; a flock it feeds

Of thoughts, and words, and deeds.

The pasture is Thy words; the streams, Thy grace

Enriching all the place.

Shepherd and flock shall sing, and all my powers

Out-sing the daylight hours.

www.thechristiancommunity.org

3rd Easter 2013, Weight of the World is Love

3^rd Easter

John 10: 1-21

“Yes, the truth I say to you: Anyone who does not go into the sheep through the door, but breaks into the fold elsewhere, he is a thief or robber. Only he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep.

To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep respond to his voice. He calls each one by name, according to its nature, and he leads them out into the open.

When he has brought them out, he walks before them, and the sheep follow after him, for they trust his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but rather flee, because they do not know the stranger’s voice.”

Thus did Jesus reveal himself to them in pictures, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Then Jesus went on. “Yes, the truth out of the spirit I say to you. I AM the door to the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the sheep did not listen to them.

I AM the door. Anyone who enters through me will find healing and life. He learns to cross the threshold from here to beyond, and from there to here, and he will find nourishment for his soul. The thief comes only to steal, and kill and destroy. But I – I have come that they may have life, and overflowing abundance.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who works for wages, and who is no true shepherd, whose sheep are not his own, he sees the wolf coming, abandons the sheep, and flees while the wolf snatches them and scatters them. For he is only a hireling and he cares nothing for the sheep.

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. I know who belongs to me, and my own recognize me, just as my Father recognizes me in the depths, and I know the being of the Father; and I offer my life for the sheep.

Other sheep have been entrusted to me who are not of this fold; I must also lead them. They too will listen to my voice, and one day there will be one flock, one Shepherd.

That is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up anew. No one can take it from me.  But in full freedom I myself offer it up. I have the power to give it away and also the power to receive it anew. That is the task given to me by my Father.”

Then there again arose a division among the people because of these words. Many of them said, “He is possessed by a demon and is out of his mind. Why do you listen to him?” Yet others said, “These are not the words of one who is possessed. After all, can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

3^rd Easter

April 14, 2013

John 10: 1-21

Children are given to parents directly from the spiritual world. And along with gift of the child comes the gift of the capacity for sacrificial love; this love is delivered directly to the parent’s heart. This gift of love from the spiritual world is without price. It is not something one can buy.

Christ was the Father’s gift to all of humanity. He came to his earthly parents, who sacrificed much to keep him alive. And he himself grew to become the parent of all humanity. He became a loving parent who was willing to sacrifice his own life so that his children could live. And he did.

Now the tables are turned. Now it is we who are all called upon to become parents of the divine child. Our soul is to become the loving parent to this divine child within the soul. And our community is to be the loving parent to this divine child who wishes to be born within soul of the group. The child wants to be born in us. We receive him. We are to lay down the substance of our own lives that He may continue to live in in us.

Where there is love, it is easy make such a sacrificial offering. In the Act of Consecration, we pray that in our offering of ourselves, the fire of divine love be born in us. In love, we receive the divine gift.  And in love we offer ourselves to keep Him alive in us.  For as the poet says:

The weight of the world

is love.

….

the weight,

the weight we carry

is love.

…it

anguishes

till born

…

looks out of the heart

burning with purity -

for the burden of life

is love,

but we carry the weight.[1]

www.thechristiancommunity.org

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[1] Allen Ginsberg, “ Song” in Collected Poems 1947-1980. Picture: The Risen Christ, by He Qi