Open The Doors to Your Heart

Camaraderie Amongst Friends

At times, events in and around our lives can feel overwhelming. The best emotional reset activity I know of is laughing with good friends. Every month or two, three women and I have an afternoon of playing spades and enjoying each others' company. We always feel renewed and happy after these times, and look forward to the opportunity to get together again as soon as possible. Many people, for many reasons, have not been able to cultivate lasting friendships, and I want to assure them that it's never too late! Reach out to people when you have a good feeling about them, whether you know them well or not. Companionship, stimulating conversation, a common cause such as animal welfare  -- there are many foundations on which to enjoy communion with others. Don't be afraid to open the door!

"You rest within the peace of God today, and call upon your brothers from your rest to draw them to their rest, along with you. You will be faithful to your trust today, forgetting no one, bringing everyone into the boundless circle of your peace, the holy sanctuary where you rest. Open the temple doors and let them come from far across the world, and near as well; your distant brothers and your closest friends; bid them all enter here and rest with you." 

A Course in Miracles W-pI.109.8

“With one Father, even God, the whole family of man would be brethren; and with one Mind and that God, or good, the brotherhood of man would consist of Love and Truth, and have unity of Principle and spiritual power which constitute divine Science.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 469:30-5

All That You Do Is Sacred

 NOW IS THE TIME TO KNOW - by Hafiz

"Now is the time to know

That all that you do is sacred.

Now, why not consider

A lasting truce with yourself and God.

Now is the time to understand

That all your ideas of right and wrong

Were just a child’s training wheels

To be laid aside

When you can finally live

With veracity

And love.

Hafiz is a divine envoy

Whom the Beloved

Has written a holy message upon.

My dear, please tell me,

Why do you still

Throw sticks at your heart

And God?

What is it in that sweet voice inside

That incites you to fear?

Now is the time for the world to know

That every thought and action is sacred

This is the time

For you to deeply compute the impossibility

That there is anything

But Grace.

Now is the season to know

That everything you do

Is sacred."

– Hafiz

“Do human hopes deceive? Is joy a trembler? Then, weary pilgrim, unloose the latchet of thy sandals; for the place whereon thou standest is sacred.” 

Mary Baker Eddy- Miscellany - Page 341:14-16

“Brother, this day is sacred to the world. Your vision, given you from far beyond all things within the world, looks back on them in a new light. And what you see becomes the healing and salvation of the world. The valuable and valueless are both perceived and recognized for what they are. And what is worthy of your love receives your love, while nothing to be feared remains.” 

A Course in Miracles - W-164.6:1-5

Seeing the Face of Christ in Each Other

“Christ of the Ozarks” in Eureka Springs, AR

Photo credit: Ron Lutz

I’ve never understood wars, and so-called religious wars are particularly incomprehensible. As a youngster, upon hearing of the disputes between the Catholics and Protestants in Ireland, I thought there must be something incredibly important to cause so much death and destruction. As an adult, I discovered it was basically a disagreement of semantics. When I began playing organ for the Catholics and Methodists a few years back, I learned many things about mainstream religion. As I’d only been exposed to Christian Science services before this, I had no idea what other churches thought of communion, Jesus, death, and the concept of God in general. I could go on and on about this, but there’s no reason to do so. The main thing I discovered is there is basically no difference in the Protestants and Catholics — certainly nothing to precipitate years of battle. And now we have denominations breaking apart over human rights. What a waste of time and energy, when we could simply follow Jesus’ two great precepts. Let’s love one another actively, and love God with every thought and action. Merry Christmas!

“The Christ was the Spirit which Jesus implied in his own statements: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life;’ ‘I and my Father are one.’ This Christ, or divinity of the man Jesus, was his divine nature, the godliness which animated him. Divine Truth, Life, and Love gave Jesus authority over sin, sickness, and death. His mission was to reveal the Science of celestial being, to prove what God is and what He does for man.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 26:10-18

“The name of Jesus is the name of one who was a man but saw the face of Christ in all his brothers and remembered God. So he became identified with Christ, a man no longer, but at one with God. The man was an illusion, for he seemed to be a separate being, walking by himself, within a body that appeared to hold his self from Self, as all illusions do. Yet who can save unless he sees illusions and then identifies them as what they are? Jesus remains a Savior because he saw the false without accepting it as true. And Christ needed his form that He might appear to men and save them from their own illusions.” A Course in Miracles - C-5.2:1-6

My Conception of Truth’s Appearing

St.Elizabeth Catholic Church in Eureka Springs, AR

What a beautiful Christmas Eve I have spent as an accompanist/organist at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church! The music was beautiful and challenging; the end result was worth the effort. Something the priest said at the end of the service caused me to think of the following Mary Baker Eddy writing. He said no one should spend Christmas alone. I beg to differ. Sending you Love this day!

“I celebrate Christmas with my soul, my spiritual sense, and so commemorate the entrance into human understanding of the Christ conceived of Spirit, of God and not of a woman—as the birth of Truth, the dawn of divine Love breaking upon the gloom of matter and evil with the glory of infinite being.

I love to observe Christmas in quietude, humility, benevolence, charity, letting good will towards man, eloquent silence, prayer, and praise express my conception of Truth’s appearing." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Miscellany Page 262

“Let no despair darken the joy of Christmas, for the time of Christ is meaningless apart from joy. Let us join in celebrating peace by demanding no sacrifice of anyone, for so you offer me the love I offer you. What can be more joyous than to perceive we are deprived of nothing? Such is the message of the time of Christ, which I give you that you may give it and return it to the Father, Who gave it to me. For in the time of Christ communication is restored, and He joins us in the celebration of His Son’s creation.”

A Course in Miracles T-15.XI.8:1-5

Let There Be Peace

Art by Jody Bergsma

Eckhart Tolle tells a story about ducks. As he’s sitting by a pond watching them go about their business, suddenly one of the ducks lashes out at another one. They squawk and flap their wings, seeming to be quite angry. Then they shake themselves off, and go back to being ducks on a pond. Even though their feathers got ruffled, when it was over, it was over. I’ve watched similar scenarios with my two cats. One will pass by the other and there will be an altercation — a vicious sounding disagreement with growls and hisses. And then it’s over and they are best friends again. We have much to learn from animals. It seems that fights to the death only occur amongst animals when there are males fighting over territory — and that territory includes females they consider to be theirs. We have much to learn from animals. The pointlessness of current conflicts around the world break our collective hearts. As we gather together this holiday season, let’s remember that Christmas is about more than food and festivities. Jesus showed us the way, so let’s celebrate his teachings by living them!

“When the divine precepts are understood, they unfold the foundation of fellowship, in which one mind is not at war with another, but all have one Spirit, God, one intelligent source, in accordance with the Scriptural command: ‘Let this Mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.’” 

Mary baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 276:4-9

“Peace is the ego’s greatest enemy because, according to its interpretation of reality, war is the guarantee of its survival. The ego becomes strong in strife. If you believe there is strife you will react viciously, because the idea of danger has entered your mind. The idea itself is an appeal to the ego. The Holy Spirit is as vigilant as the ego to the call of danger, opposing it with His strength just as the ego welcomes it. The Holy Spirit counters this welcome by welcoming peace. Eternity and peace are as closely related as are time and war.” 

A Course in Miracles T-5.III.8:7-13

Love

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love." "Come on people now, Smile on your brother, Everybody get together, Try to love one another right now." "I see skies of blue, And clouds of white, The bright blessed day, The dark sacred night, And I think to myself, What a wonderful world." "All you need is love, All you need is love, All you need is love, love, Love is all you need." "You may say I'm a dreamer, But I'm not the only one, I hope someday you'll join us, And the world will be as one."

“Perhaps you think that different kinds of love are possible. Perhaps you think there is a kind of love for this, a kind for that; a way of loving one, another way of loving still another. Love is one. It has no separate parts and no degrees; no kinds nor levels, no divergencies and no distinctions. It is like itself, unchanged throughout. It never alters with a person or a circumstance. It is the Heart of God, and also of His Son.” 

A Course in Miracles W-127.1:1-7

“Human hate has no legitimate mandate and no kingdom. Love is enthroned.” Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health 454:9-10

As Radiant as a Star

A lot has changed in the last couple of millennia, don't you think? We could spend hours listing changes in our understanding of the universe! Something which has not changed appreciably is our idea of God. Religion has pretty much held us locked in to what has been thought of as the truth. Many of us are fearlessly admitting that we are all, each and every one, the expression and experience of God. We're happily allowing our thoughts to embrace new concepts such as, "I am the light of the world"! This is not a self-important declaration, but an all-inclusive, divine-Love centered exclamation of the wonder we know as Life. Our burgeoning understanding is bringing a joy we never dreamed would be possible on this earth plane. We're starting to see that the kingdom of heaven is right here, within and without, waiting for us to embrace it. Let's go forth today and shine!

“Your will be done, you holy child of God. It does not matter if you think you are in earth or Heaven. What your Father wills of you can never change. The truth in you remains as radiant as a star, as pure as light, as innocent as love itself. And you are worthy that your will be done!” 

A Course in Miracles T-31.VI.7:1-5

“Accompanying this scientific consciousness was an other revelation, even the declaration from heaven, supreme harmony, that God, the divine Principle of harmony, is ever with men, and they are His people. Thus man was no longer regarded as a miserable sinner, but as the blessed child of God. Why? Because St. John’s corporeal sense of the heavens and earth had vanished, and in place of this false sense was the spiritual sense, the subjective state by which he could see the new heaven and new earth, which involve the spiritual idea and consciousness of reality. This is Scriptural authority for concluding that such a recognition of being is, and has been, possible to men in this present state of existence, — that we can become conscious, here and now, of a cessation of death, sorrow, and pain. This is indeed a foretaste of absolute Christian Science. Take heart, dear sufferer, for this reality of being will surely appear sometime and in some way. There will be no more pain, and all tears will be wiped away. When you read this, remember Jesus’ words, “The kingdom of God is within you.” This spiritual consciousness is therefore a present possibility.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 573:11-2