Easter Message, Part 2
Recently, we celebrated Easter, the day that celebrates the overcoming of darkness by the Light. Resurrection of the slain savior is not unique to Christianity. It has been a part of every religion in some fashion as far back as the ancient Sumerians and the Egyptians. There are countless myths and legends of the virgin births of the Messiah or great teacher of the era. There are also accounts of the slaughter and resurrection of the Messiah after a three day entombment. Initiates of the ancient mystery schools also endured dying to the world and being symbolically entombed for three days before being promoted to the higher level of knowledge. If the Christian record of the Resurrection on Easter morning is nothing new in the annals of religious teachers, then why do we even bother to celebrate it? And what can it mean for the enlightened and knowledgeable Lightworkers of the planet?
The question that should be in our hearts and minds today is “What meaning does the Resurrection hold for me as a Lightworker? How can the experience of Jesus of Nazareth over two thousand years ago help me in my everyday life on this planet? How can I use his experience and example in fulfilling my mission here, my reason for being in this place at this time?”
The answer to those questions is for each of us to decide, but there are guideposts that we can read and subtle messages along the path for us to discover. Some of those guideposts have been discovered in the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, which chronicles events that tool place after the Resurrection and is believed to have been written in the last years of the first century AD.
“All that is born and all that is created, all the elements of nature are interwoven and united with each other. What is the sin of the world? (The teacher replied) There is no sin, It is you who make sin exist when you act according to the habits of your corrupted nature. This is where sin lies. This is why you become sick and why you die; it is the result of your actions. Those who have ears, let them hear.
In these words Jesus again emphasizes the importance of being in balance, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Without this balance, we become sick and die, for the things that we do without regard to our spiritual nature take us farther and farther away from the balance of the physical and the spiritual that we are here to perfect. We are again told clearly that all elements of nature are interwoven and united with each other. Any action by one must affect the others for that reason. It is the butterfly affect taught by the resurrected Jesus.
One of the most interesting things this book held for me was the reinterpretation of the Sermon on the Mount. We have been taught in error for two thousand years by the translators of the scriptures to stand passively by and allow our lives and spiritual growth to be dictated by those supposed “learned men” who knew more than we. Those of us who were not scholars or priests did not even have access to the written scriptures until Guttenberg invented the printing press. Until then we had only the word of those in church authority that we were hearing the genuine words of Jesus spoken. Recall the words of the Beatitudes from Matthew:
Blessed are the poor in spirit…
Blessed are they that mourn…
Blessed are the meek…
Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness sake…
Blessed are the merciful…
Blessed are the pure in heart…
Blessed are the peacemakers…
Blessed are those who are persecuted…
Now listen to the new interpretation:
“Recent scholarship has found that previous translations of the Gospel of Matthew are in error inasmuch as they imply a kind of passive consolation in the face of tribulations. They are instead an invitation to stand up, to arise and walk forth, no matter what pain and trouble may lie on the road ahead. When we return to the original Semitic terms underlying the Greek version of Jesus’ words in this gospel, we find that ‘blessed’ should be replaced by ‘walk forth’, which restores the work’s dynamic quality.
Walk forth, you in whom the spirit is held back and restrained by emotions and fear.
Walk forth, you gentle and humble ones, for your gentleness is your strength. The earth resists those who are violent and offers herself to those who respect her.
Walk forth, you who weep, for you will be consoled.
Walk forth, those who starve and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.
Walk forth, the pure of heart, for you shall see God. To see the Other, our vision must be emptied of presuppositions and judgments.
Walk forth merciful ones; you shall receive mercy
Walk forth, peacemakers; you shall be declared the children of God.
Instead of being told to live passively, we are being commanded to action, positive, energetic, and joyful action! We are not called to endless contemplation in which we remove our consciousness from the world. No! We are called to action, to the active and fully conscious life in all its glory that is possible for us as spiritual beings having a human experience. We are called to merge the physical with the spiritual and to blend them into a cohesiveness in which our every physical act is a spiritual one and every spiritual thought and intention is mirrored in our physical world.
Today is a day of celebrating the beginning of spring, the new growth of the world of nature and the beauty of the planet. Today is a day of celebrating the glory of the true message of the story of the Resurrection, that in spite of all than can happen in the physical world, the problems, the worries, the injustices, and the suffering, we, as children of the Light can triumph. We can live each moment in the spiritual as well as the physical seeing the opportunity for growth and learning in every challenge, seeing the possibility of love in every relationship, and making the bid for peace in every situation.
Jesus’ message to us most of all was one of love. “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” In the name of love, the love of the man whose presence on this planet two thousand years ago brought remarkable change, let us go forth and preach the kingdom by example. Let us show by example the balance of physical existence and spirituality that can be achieved. Above all, let us teach to the world through example “the peace that passeth all understanding.”
Thank you all. May you live in love, light, and peace.
The book I quoted from is “The Gospel of Mary Magdalene” by Jean-Yves Leloup, published by Inner Tradition, Rochester, Vermont. You can order it through WHVH. Just call Ethel and tell her what you want.
One last note: congratulations to Revs. Mary and James Cox who were ordained Saturday at the celebration of CCOT’s 35th anniversary.
