Watch Out for the Trap of Your Ego!
TODAY’S MESSAGE
CONSOLATION AND DISCERNMENT
We, as human beings, go through periods of consolation and desolation. Some of the synonyms for consolation are comfort, solace, succor, support. Synonyms for desolation are, in contrast, unhappiness, misery, grief, anguish, sadness, wretchedness, despondency. Both are necessary for our progress as Pilgrims on this earthy journey. This world is not where we will reside forever. This is not where we really belong. We sojourners, transients as we are, long to be with the Supreme Being, our Maker, God or whatever you might call the Spirit of Love. We long to bask in His light, His love, His peace. We long to be with Him or Her in our real home.
It seems that few of us look forward to the state of desolation, but actually consolation may be more confusing to understand. For the ones of us who are trying to "refine" ourselves in God's sight, I'm sure we would all choose consolation over desolation. However, the evil angel often appears as an angel of light in the mind of a devout soul. I think of the old image of a good angel on one shoulder and a bad angel on the other. We laugh at jokes or cartoons such as this. But this image may have truth to it. The evil angel, appearing as good, brings holy thoughts to a person and slowly changes the "good intentions" to "evil intentions". This happens so subjectively that the human brain goes forward without realizing the change. This is where discernment must be first and foremost in our mind, because EGO, otherwise known as SELF, has entered the equation, and this is not the best part of an ego we need to support us. This is the ego of self-centeredness, ambition and pride.
We respond to God's call by attending worship services, prayer services, Mass, praying, meditating, contemplating, volunteering our time and talent, donating money to the church, place of worship, helping our neighbor, and to worthy causes to further good. How can doing "good" not be in attune to our endeavors? Evil can enter good things we are attempting when our enthusiasm turns us into workaholics; when our perseverance and determination turns us into controlling, rude tyrants; when our selfishness and pride turn us into braggarts who spotlight themselves instead of including other team players; and/or our ability to lead turns into personal ambition and pride. Yet, we started out doing everything for the greater good. Somewhere that evil angel inserted himself into our good intentions and we became self-righteous, blind to others' ideals, suggestions and ignored any form of loving criticism to pull us back from the brink. In fact, criticism, however kind, infuriated us.
How did something so good and well-meaning go so wrong? The evil spirit, known as the angel of light impersonator, is cleaver, deceiving and cunning. He is dangerous in his stealth. He tempts people who strive to do God's will and help their fellow persons. We must be aware of "changing intentions" as they begin to occur. We must pray to understand God's will for us and work to discern his intention for us in everything we do. Being in a state of awareness helps us not to fall into Satan's insidious snares. Be vigilant-know thyself! Know your weaknesses, we all have them, God knows. Review your day each evening: are there hints of ego ruling what you have done or attempt to do? None of us like to be tricked and manipulated so don't let yourself be led astray by the greatest trickster of them all.
In closing, please stay in the moment. Being aware helps us to discern why we feel consolation. It is easy to trust that good feeling as we work to please God. In realizing that the energy we feel, can quickly change and turn our consolation into evil, by using our weakness against us.
By Gail Luna, Together for a Better World...
Float & Dance like the Lotus Flower; Mindful and Unperturbed, Spreading Joy & Sweet Fragrance in the Mass of Muck of Evil!
We are a Band of Spiritual Warriors from all Faiths, Deriving Strength from Our Own Faith. We Are: Together For A Better World!
“Shun the Evil of False Religious Teachings, Taught by Greedy, Self-Seeking Priests of All Faiths! Judge, Who Preaches Hatred, Who Preaches Goodness: Joyous Harmony, Peace, Kindness, Compassion and Love with Fellow Humans and all His Creatures. Peep into Your Conscience for in Your Conscience the Almighty Resides: Goodness Resides. The Truth is: there is only One Creator/Almighty for all creation- human, animals, birds, insect et al- whatever name we humans out of our ignorance choose to bestow upon Him. We squabble and fight over names; nothing less, nothing more.”
Our Motto
“With Belief and Faith in Ourselves, in the Oneness of Human Spirit, We, of all Faiths, Shall Soldier On...”
Human life is sacred. So is all life created by Our Common Creator!
We value our own life as we value the life of each and every human being on our beautiful Blue Planet- Earth.
This is not about religion. It is about the misuse of religion to foster violence by believers of one Faith against another Faith.
All Faiths accept the Oneness of God, then why hatred and violence?
The Path of each and every Faith leads to Him, then why the hatred and violence by believers of one Faith against another.
Hatred breeds violence. Violence engenders more hatred.
Cause: misinformation and disinformation.
Who spreads misinformation and disinformation?
Is it the intermediary of every Faith, whose bounden duty is to spread goodness, love, kindness and compassion for a fellow human being of whatever hue?
Does an infant need an intermediary to savour the nourishment of the mother’s milk of love? Does a human need an intermediary to confabulate with his Maker?
Our Almighty oozes the milk of loving kindness and intermediaries, greed and hatred.
Does not the sweet nectar of love and virtue flow through the human heart in a single, bubbling eternal stream and reveal the dazzling truth of Oneness of Human Spirit!
Don’t we arise from the same five elements- earth, water, fire, air and ether- found in abundance in Nature- Mother Earth?
Don’t we, when our breath of life leaves our flesh, return to those same elements which Mother Earth bestows on us with boundless, selfless love?
Let us embrace Mother Earth, Embrace Wisdom; Embrace the Joy of Life and the Peace of Death in Her Loving Bosom!
Can’t we kindle that Spirit of Oneness, light a fire in every human heart to disperse the horrors of darkness spread by intermediaries of every Faith?
Yes, together we can, you and I as one entity, reach out to the stars, grab and embrace them.
We are a band of Spiritual Warriors from all Faiths, deriving strength from our own Faith.
We believe in the Gospel of Oneness of the Human Spirit- “One Creator with Different Names.”
We believe Goodness, Goodwill, Harmony, Peace and Joy is the Almighty’s diktat for the 21st Century, when He is caressing humankind to strive to reach out to His universe beyond our beautiful Blue Planet- Earth.
We believe, humankind should sally forth as “One Family, One Earth” to transform our minds even as we reach out to the worlds beyond.
We are pledged to nurture the Joys of Oneness.
We shall strive to open the doors of spiritual wisdom of Oneness garnered from all Faiths and appeal to those who choose to spread misinformation and disinformation through our message of love, kindness and compassion.
Hatred is wrong, love for fellow humans is right. Nothing else matters.
Small drops of water can fill a bucket of water. If every good soul contributes, the bucket of peace, harmony, love and joy will overflow.
We shall strive for Freedom from Fear for Humankind.
We shall not falter.
We shall not fail.
We are: Together For A Better World.
- Anoop Saxena, author of “With God in the pocket…” - a journey into the quest for Truth, seeks answers to existential questions for a life of harmony, peace and love.