WHAT DO WE DO WHEN THEY MAKE US ANGRY?

Others can provoke anger in one and anger wells up...

However, how we act thereafter is what is important. Do we act based on the feelings of anger? Do we let the anger calm down before we say or do anything? Do we react based on the anger emotion or do we respond with a clear mind after the anger has calmed?

When a person acts whilst under the influence of anger, then the person acts without protection as the physically invisible helpers stand aside leaving the person alone. Such a person can then be used by the darkness and after the anger-based deed has been done then as the saying goes: the eyes will now be clear. This is because the anger has beclouded all clear thinking, leading to unedifying words and wicked actions.

Between the time the anger wells up and the anger-based words and action, there is a small space. We can use that small space to decide not to act based on the anger but to delay all actions till when the anger has cooled. Then one is more able to respond properly rather than reacting emotionally.

We will succeed if beforehand we have decided fully to do only what is good. The firm decision to think, say and do only what is good has the effect of helping us maintain our poise when we are provoked. Even when we are squeezed, only the good will come out because that is all we have inside of us!

 

 

DEALING WITH OUR WEAKNESSES

Who can claim that he has overcome all weaknesses? How are we to react to temptations? Somebody once said he can resist everything except temptation. I have watched a film actor saying something like... the best way to overcome temptation is to fall for it!

Definitely we do not want to be in such deplorable conditions. Some may also think themselves already good because their circumstances have not permitted them to exhibit their inner weaknesses. They look down on those who make mistakes but who may have acted inadvertently without evil intentions.

In all seriousness, what we need to deal with are our propensities. Those deep-rooted characteristics of ours that have more or less formed how we behave. These can be greed, and its cousin covetousness. It can be sordid sensuality the lust to steal and all such things. Until these propensities leave us, we are not free from them - even if we have not been able to act out such deep immoral desires.

A step ahead can be found in developing a moral shyness to all of these weaknesses. As for temptations, we must not give approval to which temptations can cling. We will have to keep the basis of our thoughts pure. We need to watch all the thoughts assailing us, give room only for the noble, beautiful and true, then pray for help from our Maker.

May we attain to victory in this struggle. Amen!

HOW ABOUT JOKES?

Humour is capable of bringing laughter to us and our audience. This is good because cheerful laughter arising from a sincere heart is a great antidote to being weighed down. It makes us feel  light and free.

 

However, we ought to be extremely careful about the types of jokes we share. It calls for engaging our delicate intuition at all times to weigh carefully what we take in as jokes and what we share as humour.

 

We may make witty remarks, crack jokes and make use of instructive anecdotes but then we do not need to use coarse language, malicious remarks and irresponsible words. Neither are we to toy with the Holy Names in the process. For example, it will be most irreverent to share any joke that has to do with the Holy Name of the Lord Almighty and the Name of Jesus. The Holy Names are sacred, should be hallowed and never taken in vain.

 

Furthermore, we ought to be wary of body shaming jokes, jokes employing wicked words, ones that make fun of races, tribes or nations, the ones that promote the war of the sexes and so on.

 

We can employ humour creatively to pass on a serious message, to admonish, to break the ice when we wish to strike up conversation and generally for promoting all that is good. In cases like these, once we choose our words carefully and we give due consideration to the feelings of others we will bring about nothing but peace and happiness!

 

YOUR STRESS ANTIDOTE

Most of the things we feared in the past never happened. Meanwhile, we had brought ourselves under intense stress for nothing.

The fearless person always has the advantage because such a person moves forward freely in life without constraints.  They overcome obstacles with ease.

The feeling called stress is a form of fear and we are better off by releasing such fear from our lives and living as care free as children.

It is certainly not fashionable to wear stress as a garment. Is it?

So instead of affirming that we are stressed,  let us say joyfully to ourselves that we are capable of attending to every matter that comes before us, that we trust that we will be guided by our intuition to make the right decisions and that we  release ourselves from fear and that we are safe and confident about the ever present  help from above!

WHAT SHOULD BE OUR ATTITUDE TO WEALTH?

We owe it to ourselves to live our lives such that our innermost desires, thoughts, words and deeds will not come back to burden us like heavy weights. This same principle should apply to whatever we have, what is in our custody or under our control. These includes our physical body, our clothing, our money and even our relationships. All of these may not be treated in ways that will cost us our inner peace. So, what should be our attitude when it concerns material possessions and wealth generally?

We can obtain clarity about this when we recall the answer which Jesus gave to the rich young man who asked him about what he should do to attain eternal life. Christ told this particular man to give away all his earthly possessions. This is because this young man was surrounded by wealth and was too weak to exert himself to rise inwardly. His riches and the attendant comfort formed a hindrance, like an inner weight, to his spiritual ascent! The best advice which Christ could therefore give him was to remove every obstacle, which in his case was the wealth which was inducing him to live a life of comfort. So when the man asked, Jesus bent towards him, saying in a low voice so that only those who are standing nearest could hear his words: “Give all your wealth to the poor, and work for your livelihood with your own strength; then your life will have meaning for you and make you happy. Thereby you will smooth your paths to the Kingdom of Heaven.” Please note that this advice of Jesus applies to this man and to all those who are like him. It is not the case that Jesus is against wealth, but we must not allow the comfort provided by wealth to become a burden that will pull us down into the regions of the damned.

Let us therefore use whatever we have, who we are and our relationships in such a way that it leads to our ascent, our joy and our peace.

CAN WE DEFY THE LAWS OF NATURE?

No one can get round the Laws of Nature! We cannot defy them because the Almighty is the Power that activates the Natural Laws.  This unseen Power affects us every fraction of a second and is in everything we can observe.

One of the Natural Laws is the Law of Gravity. This law, just like the other Natural Laws cannot be circumvented and that was why when the Tempter suggested that Christ should jump down from the pinnacle of the Temple to prove that He was the Son of God, Jesus refused. Jesus knew that this Law of Gravity cannot be annulled for Him or for anyone else for that matter!

Throwing Himself down from the temple top unaided would be a flagrant defiance of the Natural Law of Gravity which is capable of causing bodily injury to Jesus thus producing an embarrassing occurrence that could have harmed His Mission. That was obviously the aim of that temptation. 

We as creatures should take a serious lesson from this occurrence and never allow our vanity and praise singers push us into the abyss of destruction. When sinners entice us, we should not agree to their suggestions or advise. Let us always seek for clarity in all matters and pray that it be given to us to act in the way pleasing to our Maker. This is the way to lead our lives in a way that brings us nothing but peace and happiness.

HOW CAN WE WORK IN OUR DAILY LIVES WITH THE LAW OF GRAVITY?

There is a creation law known as the Spiritual Law of Gravity. This Law tells us that every innermost wish, every thought, word, and action carry appropriate spiritual weight and density. For example, haven’t you noticed that when you are angry and tempers are high, you feel as if a weight is placed on your shoulders? It is this weight that makes you feel depressed after the show of anger. Even when something annoys us, we still reserve the rights to act in ways that will not burden us later. 

When you receive a bank alert for credit, when a letter of promotion arrives or when you receive that examination results that shows excellent grades, you feel so light as though you are flying in the skies! All of these inner feelings occur through the working of the law of gravity.

We can easily describe the working of this spiritual Law as follows: Thoughts, words and actions which are good and pure uplift the spirit and thoughts, words and actions which are evil and impure must pull the spirit down!

Here are two examples of how we can work with this law in practical terms:

1. We can align with the law of gravity in the way we pray. Instead of using words and repetitive phrases, let us pray more in spirit as this makes the prayer lighter. Let us pray in quietness and purity, so that the power of the intuition will be increased through quietness and receive through purity, that luminous lightness which will enable the prayer to be carried upward to the heights of all that is light and pure. Then we will receive that fulfilment which will be most beneficial for us and really advance us in our whole being!

2. If we wish to climb a mountain, we need to shed all heavy loads so we can climb freely and easily to the summit. In the same vein if we desire peace and happiness and if we are earnest about our striving towards Paradise then we urgently need to shed off all baggage of hatred, rudeness, selfishness, immorality, and so on. We become lighter also when we embrace love, forgiveness, consideration for others and we learn to receive by giving!

The law of gravity is our friend which lifts us upwards when through our thoughts, words and deeds, we engage only in what is good, pure and light. Let us adjust our lives to this law such that our actions lead us away from the lower regions of evil reactions  into regions of peace and bliss even whilst we are still here on earth!