October 2, 2007 & Forgiveness

"Forgive" - that is the central point of the spiritual life - love. And let us remember that these are not arbitrary words, telling us of an autocratic Judge who refuses to forgive us until we have done something on our part. No. These words of the Prayer embrace and express the supreme law of the spiritual life. If we do not forgive those who trespass against us, neither can God forgive us our trespasses; not because He refuses to do so, or does not wish to, but because our soul is in such a condition that it is impossible for us to understand or receive the divine forgiveness. - H. B. Jeffery, "The Lord's Prayer" -1940

As we understand the words of the great H. B. Jeffery above, we realize that our mind must be free of anything that binds us to the negative ... forgive, or "give up" ... for Love will not hold any of us accountable for that which we do ... only the human mind can hold someone in bondage to their actions, or words spoken, in the past ... and in doing so, we hold our own self in bondage. Let us know together that Love frees our mind of anything unlike Itself:

Knowing that my mind is one with the One Mind, which Is God ... I know that Love flows to me and through me from this One Source. I accept this Love freely and with ease as my mind is free of anything unlike Love. I know that Love is what I am ... for I am Love expressed. I let loose of all "human" ideas of forgiveness ... and instead, I look within my consciousness for more and more ways in which to express the tremendous Love within me. "No thing shall offend me" ... for I know that we think in the blink of a moment ... and we speak in the blink of a moment ... and in the blink of a moment all thoughts and words are history ... I live in this moment ... and in this moment I am One with forgiveness and Love, now and always. And so it is.

Keep the faith!
Rev. Bates