We are kept from the experience of Spirit because our inner world is cluttered with past traumas . . . As we begin to clear away this clutter, the energy of divine light and love begins to flow through our being.
Thomas KeatingRead
The modern world lies under a pervasive sense of anguish, of being abandoned, or at least experiencing God as absent. Yet events that seem to turn our lives upside down and inside out are part of God's redemptive plan, not only for us, but for the world in which we live. God may be preparing a great awakening for the world, if God can find enough people to cooperate in this mysterious plan.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the struggles of modern life and the belief that these hardships are part of a greater divine purpose.
In this quote, Thomas Keating expresses the idea that the feelings of anguish and abandonment prevalent in contemporary society are not just mere experiences, but part of a larger divine redemptive plan. He suggests that the chaotic events in our lives may be preparing us for a significant spiritual awakening, emphasizing the importance of collective human cooperation towards this mysterious and hopeful outcome.
In practice
In a sermon on hope during difficult times.
We are kept from the experience of Spirit because our inner world is cluttered with past traumas . . . As we begin to clear away this clutter, the energy of divine light and love begins to flow through our being.
The acceptance of all that God has given us and the willingness to let it go - to give it back to him at a moment's notice - that's true human freedom.
We rarely think of the air we breathe, yet it is in us and around us all the time. In similar fashion, the presence of God penetrates us, is all around us, is always embracing us.
Only when we can accept God as he is can we give up the desire for spiritual experiences that we can feel.
For human beings, the most daunting challenge is to become fully human. For to become fully human is to become fully divine.
To become who we are as creatures made in the image and likeness of God, we have to be nothing and everything at once, since this is what God is. ... If we accept who we are, we are manifesting God and radiating Christ. The latter unfolding of the divine life within us does not need to go anywhere _x000D_ or do anything special.
Man's chief delusion is his conviction that there are causes other than his own state of consciousness.
Certain readers resented me when they could no longer recognize their territory, their institution.
I got nothing against the honest cop on the beat. You just have them transferred someplace where they can't do you any harm. But don't ever talk to me about the honor of police captains or judges. If they couldn't be bought they wouldn't have the job.
It's wrong to treat Muslims as if they will never find their John Stuart Mill. Christianity and Judaism show people can be very dogmatic and then open up.
We must assist the British in the war as if there were no White Paper and we must resist the White Paper as if there were no war.
Ive walked a lot in the mountains in Iceland. And as you come to a new valley, as you come to a new landscape, you have a certain view. If you stand still, the landscape doesnt necessarily tell you how big it is. It doesnt really tell you what youre looking at. The moment you start to move the mountain starts to move.
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