At the Catholic funeral mass at my Mom’s funeral a week and a half ago, I picked up the Polish-English Catholic prayer book and read an excerpt from the back cover that was written by Pope Francis last year. Pope Francis describes the current year of December 8, 2015 through November 20, 2016 as the “Jubilee Year of Mercy:”
‘The Jubilee year will close with the liturgical Solemnity of Christ the King on 20 November 2016. On that day … we shall be filled, above all, with a sense of gratitude and thanksgiving … for having granted us an extraordinary time of grace… How much I desire that the year to come will be steeped in mercy, so that we can go out to every man and woman, bringing the goodness and tenderness of God! May the balm of mercy reach everyone, both believers and those far away, as a sign that the Kingdom of God is already present in our midst!”-Pope Francis, “Misericordiae Vultus” (“The Face of Mercy”)
Indeed, I’ve been writing for a while now that the Kingdom of God is already present in our midst, and I will explain what I mean by that. I’ll also explain why an awakened heart is required to truly get this, as well as what is required for one to awaken, as certainly from the surface level of consciousness and existence the world doesn’t look all that heavenly at the moment. In fact, from the surface level perspective, many would argue that the Kingdom of God is far from here, and many are still waiting for the rapture, or for “the end of the world when all souls shall rise from the dead,” or for some other transcendental, ethereal state to arrive through some sort of divine intervention.
But listen up. The only divine intervention that will occur here is the one that happens when you cultivate a strong relationship with your higher self and follow through with your soul’s guidance, your inner guidance, promptly and consistently-which is what Christ had done. This is also what is required in order for you to awaken and it’s how you access the Kingdom of God (both the inner and the outer Kingdoms).
Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ accomplished the mission he had set for himself. He was able to accomplish his mission by cultivating a strong connection with his Higher Self (his connection with God, to the “Father”), conducting his life in such a way that his Higher Self was in the “driver’s seat,” and following through with his inner guidance promptly and consistently.
The Scriptures contain many examples of Christ connecting to spirit and then following through with his higher guidance. In fact, one time Christ spent 40 days alone, in the desert, so he could connect within and be with his “Father,” before gaining the clarity and strength needed to go on with the rest of his life’s work.
Yes, Jesus had a choice back then (well, sort of …). He could have simply gone along with the establishment and not made any waves. But he chose to spend 40 days in “the desert,” in meditation and communion with spirit. Then he chose to go through with where his guidance was taking him.
Why? Because the world was full of ignorance and the people-whom he loved with all his heart and soul-suffered greatly because of this ignorance. (Yep, there wasn’t much of a choice there for him at all … )
And after that, the world was never again the same.
Now, two thousand years later, it’s our turn to cultivate a strong relationship with our higher self (our connection with God, with the “Father”), conduct our lives in such a way such that our higher self is in the driver’s seat, and follow through with our inner guidance (the promptings of our higher self, of our spirit) promptly and consistently, too.
In other words, it’s time for us to fulfill Christ’s legacy.
Some would argue that this is impossible, because we live on a planet of spiritual teenagers. But the truth is, following Christ’s example is how spiritual teenagers transform themselves into spiritual adults.
They do this by first cultivating a strong relationship with their higher self, and then they conduct their lives in such a way so that their higher self (their authentic self, their soul) is in the “driver’s seat.” Of course, part of this process includes following through with their inner guidance promptly and consistently, just as Jesus Christ had done.
Following Christ’s example and perhaps attending a youth ministry program could be one way to transform ourselves from spiritual teenagers into spiritual adults. Following Christ’s example is how we “return to God.” It’s how we gain access to God’s grace. (The “mercy” Pope Francis refers to again and again.) And following Christ’s example is how we’ll resolve the many issues of this planet, and it is how Christ’s vision for a Heaven on Earth (the outer Kingdom of God), will finally be made manifest. Because Heaven on Earth can’t exist on a planet full of spiritual teenagers.
How many spiritual teenagers are still waiting for Christ to return to Earth in the flesh, to take those who believe in him (and in his connection to God) up into Heaven with him? How many believers are still waiting to be swooped up and taken up into “Heaven” simply because of their belief in Christ’s connection to God, or their belief in his divinity, or their recitation of specific prayers? How long will they continue to wait, while ignoring Christ’s example and teachings? How long will they choose to remain ignorant?
I assert that Jesus Christ has already accomplished his mission, his work is already done, and in order for you to see this (including seeing that the Kingdom of God is already present in your midst) you must simply follow in Christ’s footsteps and actually strengthen the relationship with your Higher Self, with your own heart and soul-your direct connection with God. Because let’s face it, there are some things you get only through action and firsthand experience, not through recitation of doctrine, theorization, belief, cogitation, book learning-as Christ’s own disciples had eventually come to realize. This is one of them.
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