Finally it seems
that I will make the time to write again on this blog... mainly because we have
a solar panel which able us to charge the computer anytime... I will try to
post some of my morning meditations... it´s more like what comes into my mind
at that time... what my spirit is wandering or wondering about ...
Writing here it´s
simply a way for me to process those times in the mornings...
30th January – God wants community not religion
In my opinion the
“Good News” that Jesus came to announce
was not about “not going to hell” or “salvation” , but it was about a personal relationship with God, it was more about the
practicalities of loving others ( this included confronting and defying the Roman empire), loving ourselves and therefore loving God...
here and now... the learning journey of life...
Most Christians main concern is still "Life after death",
or what some call “salvation”, "the fruit of Jesus´ life, death and
resurrection"... a promisse for all... "God´s Grace revealed for all human
kind"... Many say "salvation is a gift" ... “ a gift
of faith , so no one may boast about it...”... With this I agree...
Dogmas, morals
and religion are human. Those who create them are the ones interested to have
others bound to the idea that if they wouldn´t be part of their group, they were “damned”, excluded and
rejected... or if they wouldn´t live life at a certain standard of “right” and
“wrong”, or “good” and “bad” they would end up eternity in “hell”... or if they
wouldn´t attend certain meetings they were not accepted by God... and yes, they
use the name “God” to fulfill their agendas...I´m sure Jesus was familiar with
this... He knew what it was to be “damned”, excluded and rejected by the
religious authorities of that time...
Jesus´ message,
in my opinion, was that God wants to relate to each one individually. God wants
community rather than religion. God wants us to live in community with one
another, with all creation and with God, the Bigness, The Divine...
What a Great new
it is to know that God loves us no matter what... that God, this incomprehensible
and mysteriuos being, this presence that is all over us, and in us, and in
every living thing around us that have the breath of Life... This God actually
wants to be in relationship with us, all of us individually, not in meetings of any
sort, but in our simple and unnoticed daily life...
God speaks all
the time and in so many ways, if only we dare to listen...
“Heaven” and
“Hell”, who are we to determine or say anything about it...
31st January – God. An experience, not a
concept...
God... what does
that mean?
Well, actually,
the fact that we attempt to speak or write about God is already limited as we
can only express anything in our limited language, and therefore in our limited
view of reality...
I´m writing in
English, which is not even my mother language... I will not attempt to say who
or what God is...
You see how
limited language is, I don´t even know if I should use “who” or “what”, like
“He” or “She”, or “They”, or even “it”...
Lets admit it, we
are limited...
The whole idea of
the existence of a God has to come from a personal experience.
Those who believe
in God simply because they were born into a certain religion, tradition or
culture, may never have experienced God, they just believe what they were
told...
I´m not here
speaking about a supernatural or charismatic experience only, this sometimes
can be mistaken by a simple emotional experience... I´m speaking about
something we don´t even know how to explain or describe to others, something
that is deep in our hearts, something we can´t deny, but it´s there, rooted in
our heart.
Some people don´t
believe in God at all, some, sadly, because they were born into a certain
religion, tradition or culture ... Because religion is human and is made of
humans, it´s very easy to see hypocracy and contradiction, it´s easy to become
sarcastic about the whole idea of God and religion. I don´t blame those... I
was there myself...
Unless we
experience something we can´t understand or even describe, lets call it
“supernatural”, we are alien to any idea of God.
The truth is,
throughout human history, many have experienced the supernatural... and it´s
there... it´s here...
Some may call it
“God”, or “Angels”, or “Ancestors”, or “Fairies”, or “spirits”, or
“energy”, some may personalise it and call “Jesus”, or “Khrisna”, or “Budha”,
or “Mohamed”, or “Allah”, or “Jehova”, or even “aliens”...
And indeed, it is
alien to us... weather they are green and live in spaceships, that is one
interpretation...
I´m not here
wanting to offend anyone or the belief of anyone... whatever you call God, it
is your experience and I respect it... if you don´t believe in God, it is also
your experience and I respect it...
In my opinion, we may use different names,
but we may be speaking about the same...
If any of these
experiences are peaceful and fill us with Love, not fear, I would say they are
from God.
It´s up to those
who experience it to develop a relationship, to live life with love for
themselves, for others, for all creation, and for “God”...
If it is a “God”
experience, that person will never be the same... his/ her life will be one of
faith, faith in that experience, faith in that voice, or thought, or image...
it will be a life of Love, rather than fear; of Forgiveness, rather than
bitterness; of Mercy rather than revenge; of Compassion rather than indifference;
of Joy rather than sadness; of Patience rather than stress; of Hope rather than
hopelessness; of Sharing and Producing rather than only taking and consuming;
of Justice rather than injustice; of Sacrifice rather than selfishness; of
Humility rather than pride; of Goodness rather than evil; of Peace rather than
violence...
If one lives such
a life, who are we to say they are not of God? Even those who say they don´t
believe...
Of course we
experience fear, bitterness, feelings of revenge, indifference, etc... at some
moments in our lives, for these are human feelings...
Aren´t we often
struggling between what we want and would like to do and what we actual end up
doing ? This shows me there is something beyond my human nature...
The way I see
God, by my own experience, we are not to feel blamed, nor guilty or condemned
by those feelings or actions. We are to recognise them, and change, or let the
experience of Love change us... every day, every step on this pilgrimage of
life...
1st February – My way is not the only way
What about those
who experience God in a certain way and think that everybody has to experience
God the same way?
That´s , I
believe, where so many divisions come from... between different religions and
between different denominations within the same religion.
It may start with
a name, and that in itself varies among thousands of languages that exist.
We have a report
from Moses, more than a 1000 years BC, an hebrew raised by Egyptian royalty. He
had an experience of God, something supernatural... he was shepherding in a
desert place, when a bush got on fire, but without burning. He recognized the
supernatural and he heard a voice coming from that bush. When he asked for a
name, the answer was “I AM” or “I Am who I am... some translate it into ” I am
the one who exists”, and Plato, in his Parmenides, where he treats sublimely of
the nature of God, says that nothing can express God´s nature, therefore no
name can be attributed to God.
I agree with this.
God is . God
exists. I guess that´s what God meant when Moses asked for a name.
Do we need to
have a name ? We just need to know God is God.
To some God is revealed in “Holy Scriptures”, assembled and written by humans, and inspired by the Divine (some say that, and I know some have different opinions), to others God is
revealed in Nature or Creation (for me that´s the first, and available to all, “Holy
Scripture"), to others God is revealed in humanity, in our glories and weaknesses,
to others in the poor and needy, to others in art, to others in healing, to
others in prayer, in meditation, in contemplation, in silence, in songs and
worship, to others in supernatural experiences like dreams, visions and images, angels, apparitions, to others through prophets and enlightened
people...
This last one can
create a problem of division too, because those who follow prophets usually
have the idea that theirs is THE prophet...
I remember this
movie I watched about Leo Tolstoi, and it was really interesting to notice how
Tolstoi was so different from his disciples... Tolstoi was all about Love and
justice...his disciples were following him everywhere writing down every single
word he would say and make it into a “rule”, or dogma, or something like "God´s own words"... with his sense of humour,
Tolstoi would often say that his disciples were more “Tolstoians” than himself... It was really well done the way they portrayed this dynamic between "gurus" and followers...And that can say a lot about most religions or movements which
started by a certain charismatic person, which eventually dies, or goes away and a movement goes on... Another example is Francis of Assisi who ended up abandoning his own "Franciscan order" before he died... There is also a joke that says that
when Jesus is coming back, the first thing he would say is “I´m not a
Christian” (sorry if I offend anyone, but I hope you get the point)
Anyway, no matter
which way , if one has a revelation of God, the characteristics and nature of
this God should be the same... otherwise is OUR image of God, and not God´s...
The main message we receive from a Divine revelation should be the same - that we are to love ourselves, and others and therefore
God... God is all about Love... if we would agree with that, we wouldn´t need
to be divided in our personal opinions...
What divides
people are mere human interpretations, rules and laws of “rights” and “wrongs”,
religion, ideologies, etc...
Where the Spirit
of God is , there is freedom... And this freedom leads us to an honest and open
relationship with God... We don´t need rules when we have a relationship... It
will be the Spirit of God in us who will show us if we need to change... and
actually, it ´s not a matter of “need” but it is more about what would be the
best for us or others...
With God there is
no accusation , no guilt... conviction, yes, when it´s needed... If we are open
in this relationship God will simply show us when we are living in love or
not... And Love is what transforms us and changes us...
Those who are
forgiven much, are the ones who love much... Only when we are shown love, we
are able to love back and show love to others... That is the great work of the
Spirit of God in each human being...
This should be
ultimately what we seek when we seek God...
So, no matter
which way one experiences God, that is his/her experience... If we all seek and
experience Love, we should not be divided.
We cannot force
anyone to Love, or love in a certain way, for we´re all unique, and so is the
way we love...
God treats each
one in a unique way..let us treat each other the same...
What God reveals
to me, may be only for me, or for a certain period of my life...I cannot share
a personal revelation with others as if it was for them, for that may be a
burden for others... For example, if I feel God is telling to fast once a week,
or to give away all my bellongings... Most definitely that will be for myself
at that time... I will not make that a rule for all my life, or make it a rule
for other people´s lives, even if God would tell me that out of a burning
bush...
I´m saying this
because we should be very careful when we share what God puts in our
hearts...some things are for many people, but others are only personal or
temporal , and they should stay that way...
That is why it´s
so important to develop a relationship, so we can always be open to listen what
God has to say...anew...
I end with a
beautiful passage from Jesus ´disciple, John
“My
loved ones, let us devote ourselves to loving one another. Love comes straight
from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and truly knows God.
So, my loved ones, if God loved us so sacrificially, surely we should love one
another.
No one has ever seen God with
human eyes; but if we love one another, God truly lives in us. Consequently God’s love has
accomplished its mission among us.”
and the next question is "What is ´to Love` then ? "
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