Q. O.K., so a bunch of us who are studying your Paulist Press book, Elegant Choices, Healing Choices are confused. In our discussion, a question came up regarding the following passage (p. 104)...
"[This] reminds me of Christ's teaching about the part in us who is a murderer -- from the beginning we are its children. From the start there is in us a spirit that hates the truth, hates the light, hates us."
We didn't know what teaching of Christ's you were referring to and we were wondering about the "hates." Do you mean or think that we are basically evil? Help. We are confused.
A. This is a wonderful question. The answer is basic and simple. First, for one example of that teaching see the Gospel of St. John, (Jn. 8:42-55, or thereabouts). What I mean is that when we're separated from our direct union and experience of God we are a mess.
Separated from unity consciousness, oneness with Our Father -- The Creator; Light; Infinite or Spiritual Intelligence (however each one defines the word God) -- we miss the mark. That 's one definition of sin, and self-deluded and fearing . Who can deny this? For another example of that same principle, see John 4:6 & 7, where we read of two ways of being -- a spirit of error (i.e., the separated, deluded state) and a spirit of love. So fear and hate come when we're in that separated state, when we miss the mark (or we can call that "sin.") It's then that we lack all remembrance of the spirit of love -- can't feel love, are not in touch with love, and therefore we miss the mark of love.
Who among us hasn't been there?
We find an excellent description of this 'missing of the mark' in the Old Testament (or now often called the Hebrew Bible) is found around Job 24: 13.
In fact, I'd suggest that when in that separated state of mind, our universal, collective cry is "we're afraid," "we hate" (i.e., our brother, sister, anyone who's different, the stranger... etc.) and "we're scared, self-doubting, " and even "we're confused... help!," or "we cannot forgive..."[Love is the Only Cure for Hate] The collective outcry of fear or hate comes when humanity is at its low point. Only then does its fright, confusion and, yes, hating impulse get multiplied an infinite-fold. And if we ourselves consider any question from our fragmented, separated state we're bound to become confused.
This is why in my keynotes I so often wish aloud that prison systems would figure out ways of letting the incarcerated hear truly fine music -- a Bach Requiem or some uplifting Gospel music -- or see fine art or listen to poetry and the like. The works of inspired artists are full of love and, as we appreciate that, we experience love.
This is also why I harp on the contemplative disciplines, why I value my own contemplative way so much and why I've dedicated much of my website to a discussion of same. From all the world's timeless faiths we see that, done rightly, faithfully, with mature discipline and so on, practices like meditation and praying in the Spirit connect us to the Transcendent, to Love, to the existence and ready -- availability of all answers and All Good. Repeatedly we are told of this.
For instance, in 1 Jn. 4:7 we are instructed....
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.The one who does not love does not know God for God is love."
Beautiful, yes?
Thanks for the excellent question. It's lovely to mull over such issues.
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