Annuit Coeptis

The purpose of the seminar was not to give a history lesson; rather to find a deeper relationship with our Heavenly Parent, God.  During one of the session, our presenter, Ron Pappalardo, directed our attention toward some unknown events of the history of America and how the founders of our country have been depending on the input of Divine Providence.   In formulating the constitution of the United States and some other resolutions, the founders made sure that they gave honor and praise to God with emphasis on the great spirit rather than any particular religion; with focus on principles of nature and separation of powers. 

That’s why in 1782, Charles Thomson as the secretary of the Continental Congress, suggested the motto Annuit Coeptis which he took from writings of Virgil, the Roman writer.

At one point Ron asked us to take out a one dollar bill.  We all learned something about the Latin words printed on the bill and gained a deeper respect for our founding Fathers.

Annuit Coeptis

~ Motto Above the Eye of Providence on the Great Seal, Charles Thomson (1729-1824)  Patriot leader during the American Revolution

Here is the best translation of these ancient words:
“He has favored (blessed) our endeavors (activities).”

That was only one titbits we learned about this weekend in the seminar conducted by Ron Pappalardo.  He teaches about connections with the spiritual world and how we can all access a closer relationship with the Divine.  His approach requires humility and diligence seeking out our Heavenly Parent.

Here is a link to one other presentation Ron gave:

I was very moved by Ron’s incredible enthusiasm and passion to communicate with God and find answers to some of the deepest human secrets.

 

I am the Beloved

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

~1 John 4:7-8 

According to the dictionary the meaning of “beloved” is being cherished, treasured and dearly-loved.  It takes a relationship to be the ‘beloved.’

From the moment we are born on this earth we have the need to be loved.  It is hard-wired into our human existence to be loved.  Babies who are not experiencing being cared for beyond their physical needs such as being cuddled and touched often grow into uncaring and selfish adults.  As humans we find ourselves challenged to find the balance between our physical (external) and spiritual (internal) needs.  We are very much aware of our five physical senses but only claim the “6^th sense” as a tool for intuition.  We know now that there are equally spiritual senses corresponding to the five physical senses.  More and more people have ESP (extra sensory perception) experiences.  And that is nothing to laugh about because even science has recognized the “other” invisible world as real and measureable.

In a book called “Doorway to the Soul” Ron Scolastico discusses the deep hunger for love, connection, and spiritual experience we may feel at a certain time in our life. Some people may get restless, frustrated, or even depressed because they cannot find fulfillment in their physical activities only.

“Our greatest fulfillment lies in giving ourselves to others.”

~Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World

All other creatures just have to grow, taking in the sun, water, food, etc. and they fulfill their given purpose.

As humans we have one added (often overlooked) aim and that can only be achieved when we use our free will.  To become fully aware of this faculty of our mind we have to discover our true identity.  We were created in the image of God, our heavenly parent.  To learn that we are children of the all-powerful, all-knowing, and eternal Creator of this infinite universe is a lot to digest.  For many of us we cannot fathom that we have infinite beauty, goodness, and love hidden inside of us.  It may be a tremendous challenge to take off the many filters of our own perspective, taught beliefs, and adapted opinions.  It takes a lot of effort and good intentions to find the deeper realities.  Could changing our attitude about our true identity be the missing link to internal peace?

“It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.”

~ Confucius

 

It takes humility to discover that blessedness and being the “beloved.”  One place to start is to be grateful for life itself, for what we have, where we live and whom we come in contact with.  Becoming aware of God’s presence takes practice; the rewards are infinite.  Practicing consideration and kindness to others takes the focus away from ourselves.  Paying attention to those connections we discover infinite power, power to change and to grow ourselves spiritually.  With the right intention comes even greater fulfillment.

 

What is Mercy?

 

“Mercy is the ability to see through and beyond that which appears, to that which is eternal and never changes.”

~ Michele Longo O’Donnell

According to the dictionary mercy is a form of compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.

In her book “The God That We’ve Created” Michele Longo says that mercy is not compassion; compassion is compassion; mercy is not forgiveness; forgiveness is forgiveness.  She builds her insight on the words of James:

“For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”

~ James 2:13

She says that mercy is from a higher atmosphere of thought.  Mercy excels over judgement.  It is more desired than judgement.  Mercy is the judgement of God.  God sees all his creation, especially his children, with mercy.  When mercy touches our hearts … we are changed forever.  We see ourselves as new creatures, we can change our lives and can even be healed.

Because God sees us as we truly are: our core true, innocent nature, we are governed by his love and truth.  Traditional teachings tell us that God judges us according to our sins.  That would make us fear God because judgement is governed by fear.  Michele suggests that we are governed by mercy with love and truth.

 

Lift Your Face toward the Sun

During this past Sunday Service pastor Mike used the phrase: “Lift your face toward the sun rather than looking down to the ground.”  This is not to get a nice sun tan or to appear arrogant.  He used it to encourage us to have a positive attitude and to be optimistic.  He also referred to Matthew 5:44-45:

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Jesus here talked about how God being unbiased, sends the sun and the rain on all of us equally.  We don’t have to qualify with our behavior.  I found some other quotes which support this understanding.  Why not get the sun when it is so abundantly available?

“Keep your face to the sun and you will never see the shadows.”

~ Helen Keller

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”

~ Psalm 84:11

“Turn your face toward the sun and the shadows will fall behind you.”

~ Maori Proverb

IrishBlessings

 May the road rise to meet you.
 May the wind be always at your back.
 May the sun shine warm upon your face.
 And rains fall soft upon your fields.
 And until we meet again,
 May God hold you in the hollow of His hand… .

Turn your face to the sun.

There is goodness in the world that even the river of tears cannot erase.
~ Maithri Goonetilleke 

May experience many moments this week where you can turn your face to the sun both literally and symbolically.  May you always be aware of the choices we have: look up or look down.

The Bible Is A Coded Message

You may have wondered why there are so many different interpretation to the Holy Scriptures.  In 1974, Rev. SunMyung Moon gave a message which helped me to understand some of the coded messages in the Bible:

What is the Bible, more precisely? The Bible has been a book of mystery. However, the Bible contains God's message to you and me.

The Bible does not use plain language, but is written in symbols and parables. Do you know why God has presented the Bible in symbols and parables? Why did He not speak the truth clearly?

God has had to deal with the world of evil. Throughout the ages, God has hand-picked His workers, or champions, out of this evil world. Abraham was such a champion. Noah was such a champion.

And God's champions were always in the utter minority in the evil world. If God revealed His strategy too openly or plainly, the enemy would use that information against God's champions. Thus, the Bible was written as a coded message, so that only God's agents or champions could decipher it.

Let me make an analogy. To protect her security, America sends out many agents overseas to collect vital information concerning potential enemies. When the home headquarters is communicating with these agents overseas, particularly in enemy territory, would they communicate openly and plainly? No. No one would be that naive. They would communicate in coded messages — secret messages — so that the enemy could not decipher them.

Throughout history, righteous people have faced nothing but suffering on this earth, simply because they were in enemy territory, and Satan did not want to have God's agents prosper. Whenever Satan's forces discovered God's representatives, they tried to destroy them.

We must realize that God has had to give His instructions in coded messages. Thus the Bible is written in symbols and parables. In a sense, the Bible is intended to be mysterious. Then how can we know the true meaning of those symbols and parables?

It is simple, in a way. If you are an agent dispatched by your headquarters, and you want to decipher a coded message, then you must either have a code book, or communicate directly with your home headquarters.

By the same token, the meaning of the symbols and parables in the Bible can only be clear when we communicate with our "home headquarters" — God. This is truly the only sure way we can know the ultimate meaning of the Bible.

Two thousand years ago our Lord Jesus Christ brought the blueprint for the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. However, he could not speak plainly about his plan even to his own disciples. Jesus spoke in figures and parables. Why?

Jesus knew the adverse circumstances in which he had to work. There was political pressure from the Roman Empire. There was the ruling monarchy, who opposed any change. And there was a strong religious system and tradition. These could all be directed against the building of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus came to kindle the fire of revolution in people, which would in due course change the structure and the life of the entire nation. But he could not speak plainly of any of this even to his own disciples. Instead, he had to speak in figures and parables, saying,

'He who has ears to hear, let him hear.'

~ Luke 14:35

If you attempt to interpret the Bible literally, word for word, letter for letter, without understanding the nature of the coded message of the Bible, you are liable to make a big mistake.

Therefore, in this day, at this hour, what the Christian world needs is a revelation from God. God must reveal to us His plan; He must tell us His timetable, and give us instructions as to what to do at this time. God indeed promised that by saying, in Amos,

'Surely the Lord God does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.'

~ Amos 3:7

Tonight I am standing here at Madison Square Garden not according to my own will, but in obedience to the divine will of God. God has called me as His instrument, to reveal His message for His present day dispensation, so that there may be a people prepared for the day of the Lord.

Tonight I am going to concentrate on the divine revelation concerning the coming of the Lord of the Second Advent — the vital issue of the Second Advent — the most important question of our time. And in order to understand this more clearly, we must first know the circumstances of the coming of Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago.

Excerpted from The New Future of Christianity, September 18, 1974--Rev. Sun Myung Moon--New York, New York

Even the Jewish people believe that the Scriptures cannot be completely understood until the Messiah comes.  When he comes, he will not only interpret each of the passages for us, but will interpret every word and especially the meaning of the spaces between the letters.

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
~ Matthew 5:17-18:

We are living now in a special time of human history.  May we have the right spirit to understand the messages in the Bible and even be willing to look for deeper meanings through our living relationship with God.

Who are the Peace Makers?

Last month I wrote about "peace by any other name."  This time I want to elaborate some more on the nature of peace makers.  Making peace is an action; it is not just enough to love peace or declare peace.  It is an ongoing task to bring reconciliation among all people and show them a common denominator (ideal).

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."

~Matthew 5:9

What is the Nature of a Peacemaker?

·       Acts as a servant leader
·       Adopts the discipline of the parent/leader
·       Becomes a mediator between the physical and the spiritual realms
·       Brings reconciliation among all religions
·       Empathetic to others, and willing to help
·       Encourages compassion/communication
·       Exercises spiritual muscles
·       Has the innocence of a child
·       Lives in the present moment/the NOW
·       Lives by the heavenly rules and values
·       Opposes violence
·       Practices obedience to God, the parent
·       Resolves conflict among followers
·       Speaks the truth
·       Takes responsibility for mistakes
·       Teaches atonement
·       Understands human nature 

Jesus is a Peacemaker

The words from the Beatitudes by Jesus show us the essence of the New Testament.  Jesus taught us that God is our Heavenly Parent, who can unite all His children.  Jesus was not only a great teacher but he was the utmost example of a Son of God by demonstrating how to live and how to love.  With His compassion He took upon himself the role of a peacemaker, calling all of us to follow his standard.

Throughout the ages there were many who called upon the goodness in mankind and demonstrated a better way of life.  They made an important contribution and brought us through the dark ages to a time of greater tolerance and unity.  Here are some people who made a great impact for peace in their country and with that for the larger good:

“Women are, in my view, natural peacemakers. As givers and nurturers of life, through their focus on human relationships and their engagement with the demanding work of raising children and protecting family life, they develop a deep sense of empathy that cuts through to underlying human realities.”

~ Daisaku Ikeda (1928), Japanese Author on Buddhism and leader of Soka Gakkai.

“Peace will not come out of a clash of arms but out of justice lived and done by unarmed nations in the face of odds.”

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) Leader of the Indian Independence Movement

“You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.”

~ Indira Gandhi, prime minister of India (1917-1984)

 

"One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means."
~Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr (1928-1968),  American Pastor and Civil Rights Leader

"When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others."

~ Peace Pilgrim (1908-1981)  American Peace Activist

“People respond in accordance to how you relate to them. If you approach them on the basis of violence, that's how they'll react. But if you say, 'We want peace, we want stability,' we can then do a lot of things that will contribute towards the progress of our society.”

~ Nelson Mandela (1918-2013), South African Apartheid Leader and President of South Africa

“Forgiving is not forgetting; it’s actually remembering--remembering and not using your right to hit back. It’s a second chance for a new beginning. And the remembering part is particularly important. Especially if you don’t want to repeat what happened.”

~ Desmond Tutu  promoting Ubuntu.  Ubuntu (philosophy) is an ancient African word meaning 'humanity to others.'

"The order of existence in the universe is rooted in acting for the sake of others.

The world of true peace, true love and the true ideal is both the ideal of God's creation and the desire of humankind.
Therefore, the origin of happiness and peace lies in living for the sake of others."
~ Sun Myung Moon,  (1920-1992), Korean Religious leader, author of Philosophy of Peace

Sun Myung Moon is a Peacemaker

Rev.Moon has lived his whole life promoting peace.  It has been his deepest desire to teach mankind that we are God’s sons and daughters and as such are meant to live together as one family.  He has revealed to us the heart of God which is broken because of the way we live: fighting wars, living in strive, killing and conquering each other.  He has inspired members and leaders around the world to overcome differences in religious beliefs, cultural traditions, political opinions and scientific viewpoints to find the common denominator through his conferences and rallies.

The following video was recorded in 2012 and portraits the life and works of Rev. Moon.

“Rev. Moon has emerged as a great peacemaker and unifier on the world stage. He is a leading force for interreligious dialogue and understanding between people of all backgrounds, and for global peace and security.”

~ Alexander Haig, (1924-1990) former Secretary of State (59th)

Our greatest challenge today is to resolve the conflicts among people of different opinions and viewpoints.  It is not just enough to fight wars with weapons, overpower another country with strategies or battle the enemy.  By recognizing the spiritual nature of man, we need to develop that spiritual quality and absorb each other’s resentment and ill feelings.  We can exercise our spiritual muscles with forgiveness and tolerance.  By accepting each other for who we are and seeing the “Christ-consciousness” in each other peace can be a way of life.  It can only be possible when we see each other from God’s point of view, the view of the parent looking down on His children.  On the world scene politics have taken the upper hand over religious practices.  Or religious opinions have taken the liberty to dominate other’s beliefs rather than demonstrating the mastery of their principles by manifesting acceptance, forgiveness, kindness, tolerance, and other forms of love.

Even science has now confirmed that we are hard-wired to have a relationship with God, the creator.  That connection lays in the foundation for internal unity between mind and body.  Even those who are not looking for a spiritual experience like artists, athletes and inventors have had profound ‘aha’ moments where they could encounter an internal peace.  For most of us these kind of ephemeral moments come and go. 

Here is an historical example of how enemies can make peace: 

I like to finish with the words of the song by John Lennon:

IMAGINE

“Imagine there's no country,
It isn't hard to do.
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too.
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace.”
– John Lennon, British musician (1940-1980)

Default NO More

Have you ever wondered why life seems complicated, difficult and full of struggle?  Does that mean we are looking at life from a victim aspect, an attitude of scarcity, or being triggered by negative memories? Rather than focusing on feeling we are duped, let’s look at it from a different angle.

From the moment of our conception which is a purposeful event where sperm and egg unite with so much intention, instinct and force, we are destined to succeed in life.  Once the process of fertilization has taken place the natural principles continue the development of cell-division and growth.  From that same perspective it seems that everything in creation has a specific purpose.  It only seems that when we are “trying” to do things that it is hard to achieve.  Why not applying some reverse psychology?  Could we get unstuck by just BEING rather than trying by willpower?

“Just being” does not mean being laid back or being inactive. 

It is rather a:

Being pro-active
Choosing to live by design
Choosing to live with purpose
Preferring one way over the other

How do we get out of the auto-pilot mode?

·       Create awareness
·       Make up own mind, rather than act on what society or culture dictates
·       Change ineffective habits
·       Find a passion
·       Repetitive practice (musical instrument, athletic training, public speaking, theatre performance, communication)
·       Enhancing and refining new skills

“To be nobody but myself -- in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else -- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting.”

– E.E. Cummings, poet (1894-1962)

Greatness in not inherited.  It can be achieved by endless practice and repetition.  It has been said that talent is not a guaranty for great achievement.  Most of the time it is plain hard work and persistence.  Science has proven now that greatness is NOT programed into our DNA.  It is not an inevitable outcome, unless we decide to make it happen.

Health is not inherited either.  The DNA is the “blue-print” of life itself.  In fact, from a medical point of view it is now proven that heredity is only in a small part responsible for making us healthy or sick.  A recent study at the HearthMath Institute has shown that we can reprogram our DNA.

“Everyone has talent, but ability takes hard work.”

-- Michael Jordan (1963) American Professional Basket Player

The same kind of research has been done by scientist Bruce Lipton and his work of epigenetics.  Some of these scientists suggest that we can reprogram our DNA in as little as 2 minutes.  What they are saying is that our beliefs, our behavior, our environment, and our experiences throughout life have a greater influence on us than our inherited genes. 

 

This may be the first scientific evidence of the long-held theory that emotion greatly affects our health and quality of life. This is positive proof that DNA and health are related, and that we can communicate with and "program" our DNA through emotion — and thus, change the very blueprint of our health and our life. If we can influence the behavior of DNA and health in a test tube, what untold health benefits might we experience by changing the DNA in our bodies?

“The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge while an ordinary man takes everything as a blessing or a curse.”

~ Carlos Castaneda (1925-1988), American author and anthropologist 

How do we get rid of limiting beliefs, fears and self-destructive habits?

We have to understand once and for all that we are NOT our thoughts, feelings, or circumstances. Here is a link to how to shield yourself from other’s emotions.

I read that the thoughts and feelings are like the clouds blocking the sun which is our true, essential self. Our true self is very powerful and radiant.  We were born beautiful, happy, stress free, confident, and productive.

“Positive and negative emotions cannot occupy the mind at the same time.  One or the other must dominate.  It is your responsibility to make sure that positive emotions constitute the dominating influence of your mind.”

~ Napoleon Hill (1883-1990) American author and self-help guru

When we let go of undesired beliefs and fears, along with self-destructive habits we can enter once again into the realm of the Source energy or God where we are connected.  The emergence of the ego has given us our false identity with illusionary ideas of who we are, and what we are to do.  It is this ego which keeps us separated from the Divine and holds us back from the infinite energy and power which we all long for.

In that Divine presence formless ideas can become substantial because we are not allowing the ego to think and manipulate us rather we are transcending the ego, and letting go of our own desires, becoming one with the frequency of the Divine.  By staying in harmony with that energy field our ultimate good will come to us.  By focusing on positive thoughts and feelings the manifestation of our desires will come.

These ideas are not new.  The Law of Attraction (this law obeys the laws of physics by attracting the universal energy that one vibrates at) and The Magic of Believing by Claude Bristol have shed some light on the background of manifesting ideas.  What they don’t talk about is how to clear away the unwanted “baggage” we all have been carrying with us, emotional and mental memories.  I have used several methods like The Emotion Code by Dr. Bradley Nelson and other healing seminars to overcome undesired emotions and negative experiences. Eckhart Tolle calls this baggage the “pain body.”  He also relates to us a simple way of how to get rid of is by symbolically “flapping our wings.”

“When you make a decision and a commitment to do something good for yourself, it is like dropping a pebble in a pond. It has a rippling effect. The firmer the decision, the stronger the frequency and wider the range of things that will be reached.”

~ Iyanla Vanzant (1953) American New Age teacher

Why not try some good-old-fashioned repentance?

To reach the infinite field and the presence of God, we have to clear away “the clouds” as I mentioned above.  Sin is nothing other than separation from God.

Prayer of repentance seems a simple solution.  When we feel sorry for what we did wrong, we can expand it to a larger scale and repent for our society, and nation.  God is a God for all people, we can repent for all mankind.  We are all separated from God because this world is certainly not a reflection of a peaceful world. 

Repentance very simply clears away what we don’t want and makes room for what we want and need for daily living.

Part of repentance prayer is also to be grateful for what we have.  God loves to hear us praising His beautiful creation, being thankful for even the smallest things like food, shelter, relationships, etc. Once we establish a true relationship with the creator, and we tune into the presence of God, we can tell Him everything, trusting Him like a child trusts His parent.

But in our culture of entitlement, gratitude is underappreciated. Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis talks about the benefits of cultivating gratitude.  He says that it can make you happier.

According to Dr. Emmons, people who actively practice gratitude:

•         Have stronger immune systems and are sick less frequently
•         Exercise more and take better care of their health
•         Sleep longer and feel more refreshed upon waking
•         Feel more alert, alive, and awake
•         Experience more joy and pleasure
•         Are more optimistic
•         Are more forgiving and compassionate
•         Feel less loneliness and isolation. 

Why is the active practice of gratitude so effective? Dr. Rick Hanson tells us it has to do with the negativity bias of the brain. "Our brains are like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones," he says. "Given that, it takes an active effort to internalize positive experiences and heal negative ones. When you tilt toward what's positive, you're actually righting a neurological imbalance."

Benefits of repentance

Avoid future regret
Become honest with oneself
Cleanse body with tears
Connect with God
Creates awareness of what’s “wrong” with us
Experience new-found freedom
Finding our true identity
Focus on important things
Get in touch with our heart
Get to know our authentic self
Get rid of a scarcity mindset
Let go of ego
Letting go of resistance to goals
Overcome intellectual arrogance

This being the end of 2014, is a good time to do some reflecting.  It is also the best time to start the New Year by being more pro-active with deliberate and purpose-driven actions.

Happy New Year 2015!

 

 

 

 

Jesus Christ And His Country

This being the Christmas season I like to introduce a passage from a talk given by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon:  

God's Providence And Search For The Ideal Country

A people living in a country without sovereignty are pitiful people. Therefore, Jesus said "Do not worry, saying, what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear? For the pagans run after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them."

What did Jesus say? To save your son or to save your country? He told you to save the country; God is looking for that. God's providence to find the ideal country can only be accomplished through a human being, and not through breaking off human beings and creation. It will be accomplished through the assimilation of God and creation through truthful human beings. That is why God sent Jesus to the fallen people of this earth as a substitute for God and as a person who could represent the Heavenly lineage. That is, Jesus was the first one who came to this earth to accomplish God's historic purpose.

After four thousand years, it was Jesus who was sent to the earth as a descendant of Joseph's family centering upon Judaism. At that time, Satan's side had already established a country that attacked the heavenly side. Heaven's side had no ideal country. That is why God worked so hard for four thousand years to organize one country. Based on God's hard work and achievement, the Israelite people were supposed to accept Jesus and secure a stepping stone to accomplish the worldwide salvation on this earth where God and Jesus could be the center. However, because of Jesus' death only the spiritual side of this was accomplished.

During Jesus' three years of public ministry, centering upon Judaism, he desperately attempted to restore through indemnity everything that had been lost. But he failed due to his crucifixion. That is why Israel, which had been established as God's stepping stone on this earth, perished. Through Jesus' death Christianity could only keep the spiritual foundation for the ideal country. The Israelites lost their country and were in a miserable situation wandering from place to place. They became the laughing stock of Satan's world. Therefore, today, the Lord of the Second Advent must restore through indemnity all that had been lost due to the distrust of the Israelites who were ignorant of God's four thousand years of preparation for their country.

Jesus came to this earth to search for his country, to establish one country for God. However, he could not establish the country with both his body and soul but was able only to establish a spiritual foundation. That explains why today's Christians do not have an ideal country as an entity. It means that God cannot call any country or any people on this earth His country and His people. It also means that no foundation has yet been established for the Kingdom of Heaven on this earth. If Israel had become one centering upon Jesus, then God could have been able to restore the whole world with Israel as its center. However, since the foundation to unite body and soul together on this earth was lost due to the death of Jesus, only spiritual restoration had been possible.

Therefore, till today, Christians have been in a similar position of being a people without country and sovereignty, and have been martyred wherever they went. Christianity grew to its prosperity only through the bloody death of religious martyrs. Why? Because it was the way Christianity was born. Without the bloody sacrifice of the Christians, Christianity would not have prospered. Now the period of persecution and bloody sacrifice has ended, yet, based on the spiritual foundation of Christianity the search for the lost country continued as had the anticipation of the Second Coming of Christ.

Jesus is still waiting in Paradise. You have to know that Jesus could not proceed to the heavenly royal throne. Jesus should have established the country that had the authority to communicate directly from Earth to Heaven. Nevertheless, since Jesus could not establish the country God desired, Jesus could not stand in front of God. That means that Paradise is a waiting room to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Yes, a waiting room! Also, no individual, alone, can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. If Adam and Eve had not fallen, their family could have gone into the Kingdom of Heaven. Isn't that right? Sons and daughters should come together. Otherwise, we cannot enter Heaven.

To restore through indemnity the past two thousand years until now, Christianity had to fight to establish the groundwork to unite the world. Who is going to succeed in establishing this foundation on the earth where no true country is available? To make this happen, God prepared a new religious movement centering on Christianity and other conscientious people.

We are living at a very providential time in history.  2,000 year ago we changed the calendar to A.D. (from B.C. before) because the birth of Jesus had such a dramatic impact on the whole world.  Even though he could not establish a country as Rev. Moon was talking about, his birth mattered because he came to unfreeze this world.  His teaching was so revolutionary, his way of living and loving so dramatic that it shook the whole universe.  He showed us what love truly is: to express the heart of God as our parent.  He also came to expose the enemy of love with his self-centered ways.  He was and is truly revolutionary; that’s why he had so many enemies and eventually had to die.  None-the-less, the Christ Consciousness is with us today and forever, and it is up to us to manifest it in our everyday life.

Merry Christmas!

 

Peace by any Other Name

During this Christmas season, we send cards with the slogan Peace on Earth, or we remind ourselves of the ‘wish for world peace,’ ‘let there be peace on earth,’ ‘give peace a chance,’ ‘peace brings the world together,’ ‘peace is possible,’ ‘peace is our gift to each other,’ ‘peace is the way for a better day,’ ‘peaceful resolution is the best solution,’ ‘where there is love there is peace,’ ‘war is expensive, peace is priceless,’ ‘let’s have peace,’ etc.

If that’s the wish of all people why has peace still evaded us?

I once read a book called the “Anatomy of Peace” by the Arbinger Institute where the authors ask some very profound questions: What if conflicts at home, conflicts at work, and conflicts in the world stem from the same root cause?  What is their conclusion? The choice between peace and war lies within us.  As one of the characters says, "A solution to the inner war solves the outer war as well." This book offers more than hope -- it shows how we can prevent the conflicts that cause so much pain in our lives and in the world.

“If the way of peace is to succeed, it must offer a substitute for everything war now offers.”

~ Dr. Deepak Chopra, author of the Peace is the Way: “Bringing War and Violence to an End.”

What is the meaning of Peace?

Peace is defined by a freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility, calm and serenity; privacy and solitude; also ease and contentment.
Peace can also be law and order, harmony and non-violence; absence of violence and war.

“There is no other way to peace.  Peace is the way.”

~Mahatma Ghandi

Why is it so hard to create Peace? 

For once, it is an abstract term, an invisible value, a dream, a vision, something nobody has ever seen, heard, touched, smelled or tasted.  But so are terminologies such as love, beauty, truth, and goodness.  There are values we all strive for but we all have different ideas of what they mean. 

"The democratic world places value upon the individual person because each one is a child of God. The greatest care must be taken to assure each individual's liberty and freedom of choice, for without liberty, a person's actions have no value." 

~ Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon - Challenges and Possibilities for World Peace, June 1, 1987

How can we overcome that internal struggle?

It is no wonder that we are fighting wars between countries when the actual conflict starts in our own mind. Have you ever become aware of the internal battle in your own mind?  Or the struggle your head puts up when your heart says something else?  Or witnessed the arguments and repetitive slogan your negative mind plays over and over again?  That conflict happens when one part of you disagrees with what the other part is doing. Or the clash of your mind and body when the alarm goes off 6:00 AM and you would rather stay in bed than get up and go to work? 

As we discovered before, the values we are striving for are all invisible.  The way we can manifest anything into the physical realm is through experience and practice.  The same way an athletes have to train day in and day out or a musician has to rehearse the scales before she can play a beautiful song, the daily repetition brings him the perfect result.  And even with all the drills and repeats the probability of success is only 3 out of 10 or some similar rate; practice and training make perfect score.

How can we ever achieve that mind-body unity?

Since the dawn of times the individual and mankind as a whole have been striving to create peace while conquering each other, while battling and fighting war at the same time.

The moment we forget that man is not only a physical being but a creature with spirit and soul, we are always faced with challenges.  And they are not only encounters of relationships.  Darrel Scott, the father of Rachel Scott who died in the Columbine High School tragedy, says it best:

"Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact.

What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws.
Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.”
~ Darrell Scott, Father of Rachel Joy Scott, victim of the Columbine High School shooting in 1999

As Darrel mentions we have pushed all spiritual elements out of our schools and education systems, in fact out of almost every aspect of our society.  Why can’t spirituality without any particular religious flavor be part of our everyday lives?

“People say to me, ‘but if I simply accept reality then I will become passive and nothing will change.  I answer them with this question. Which of these statements makes more sense? "I wish I hadn't lost all that money.’ or ‘what can I do now to create more income?’

Accepting ‘what is’ doesn't mean you settle for the way things are, it just means you give up all the resistance and inner struggle by wishing it were different.”
~ Robert Anthony, Author and Self-help guru

How can we become Peace-Makers?

In his book “Peace is the Way” Deepak Chopra writes about war being a myth which provides an outlet for national vengeance, it satisfies the demands of fear, it brings power to the victor, it provides security to the homeland, and it opens an avenue for getting what you want by force.  He talks about being addicted to war just like to any other bad habit.

The first step to any change is awareness.  We all can practice peace every day by changing our habits and mindsets. Chopra salutes conflict resolution, voting, and finding concrete ethical ways of supporting nonviolence.  Dr. Chopra suggests a seven step process to replace addiction to a way of love.

One practice for each day:

Sunday:        Being For Peace

Monday:        Thinking For Peace

Tuesday:       Feeling For Peace

Wednesday:  Speaking For Peace

Thursday:     Acting For Peace

Friday:          Creating For Peace

Saturday:      Sharing For Peace

I am glad that Dr. Chopra includes the existence of God as necessity for finding a way to peace.  He says that the way of peace isn't based on religion or morality. It doesn't ask us to become saints overnight, or to renounce our feelings of anger or our thirst for revenge.  The way of peace is based on the same thing that ushered in the age of science: a leap in consciousness.

Next week I will explore more ways as to how peace can come about.