Passion Week is about today and everyday

Our greatest glory is not in ever falling, but in rising every time we fall.- Confucius -04/1/12

This powerful week in the Christian calendar is aptly called Passion Week.   It begins with the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. We can reenact our own Passion week experience each time we face down uncertainty and carry forward our highest held beliefs.   Palm Sunday means for me today that I can face uncertainly, difficulty, and problems with poise, power, and yes, it also mean that I am willing to fail temporarily for I am more willing to rise up again.  It  means that I am willing to speak up and act through what I LOVE INSTEAD OF BASHING WHAT I HATE.  This way, Love’s options become life’s opportunities. To me, failure is simply one of the doorways that lead to ultimate success.

The Rabbi from Nazareth spoke the following words that remove any of our excuses from enlarging the territory of our knowing, expressing from our highest truths, and following the path of our deepest desires.  When crossing the threshold of new borders we are to center our heart upon love, our mind upon enlightened purpose, and our actions upon creating a world that works for all.  Even today these words of Jesus of Nazareth continue to push my buttons as I am tempted to play safe and secure with my personal dreams and desires – playing small serves no one.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English (©2010)
“Timeless truth, I tell you: ‘whoever believes in me, those works which I have done he will also do, and he will do greater works than these, because I am going to the presence of my Father.‘ …that where I am you may be also.” – John 14:12

The mission for me from these teachings is to stand on my own with the teachings in hand and heart and act accordingly.  I am to put them into daily practice regardless of convenience and let the results speak for themselves.   For in the Aramaic sense intent and action are one.  This is part of the lesson of spiritual mastery that each of us is destined to awaken to the Presence of our indwelling God.   As the inner Light of Truth and Grace continues to dawn in the mind, heart, and experiences then the boarders of our knowing, being, and acting also expand.

Interpretation is meaningless without application.   I examine this teaching layer by layer and  I extract a powerful and exacting principle to apply in my life.

1. Anyone (regardless of creed, gender, lifestyle orientation, culture, or socio-economic standing)
2. Who chooses to live in unity (practice the Presence of the indwelling God) with the principles of Love (as in Golden Rule), Truth (as in the highest knowing) and willingness to own ones results(accountability)
3. Will not only accomplish what Jesus accomplished but out do the accomplishments.
4. What was radical is that his disciples took him at his word and applied the teaching.  The sick were healed, hungry feed, dead were brought back to life. (see the book of Acts and notice it is not the book of theories)
5. In a larger context he kicked his disciples out of their comfort zone.  This is what the evolutionary impulse does.  The result: the teaching expanded beyond the borders of Judea, and beyond the language of Judea into the known world and all its languages.

A True Teacher for all humanity lives as The Great Example not the great exception!   One of the biggest challenges we face as we seek to apply the universal teachings of this Spiritual Master is that they must be applied through the cultivation of humility and courage.

Can we cultivate enough humility to enable us to recognize those who have genuinely reached a higher stage of development than our own?

Can we have enough courage to aspire to meet them where they are?  Even if they are different, faith, appearance, culture, belief? 

The invitation of Jesus speaks to me as saying, “Each of you can stand upon my shoulders and see beyond my vision.   Each of you can equal my awareness, ability, and perhaps surpass my attainment.”  His teaching tells me that “I don’t want or need followers, but peers, equals, partners to demonstrate the validity of what I am, know, can do and accomplish.”

WE SEE THIS TODAY JUST LOOK: “The word of truth is the word of God no matter who speaks it or when it is spoken.” – Earnest Holmes 

Our words are life; they are formative and our actions are definitive. 

 In the Unity Movement we teach that believing in, on, or through the name of Jesus the Christ is to believe in teaching, method, and model that this name embodied.  The name that all humanity has in common with this Spiritual Master and  it is “ I AM!”  We too teach, model and demonstrate by our own use of our common name of “I AM” Using this name consciously awakens us to our own eternal reality of oneness with the Universal Source of Creativity/Creation.  There are no exceptions.

Namaste let’s make it a great Passion week beyond the boundaries of religiosity!