LOVE's Healing Grace

LOVE's Healing Grace


And behold, the word of Jehovah [came] to him, and he said to him, What doest thou here, Elijah? 10 And he said, I have been very jealous for Jehovah the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I am left, I alone, and they seek my life, to take it away. 11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before Jehovah. And behold, Jehovah passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before Jehovah: Jehovah was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake: Jehovah was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake, a fire: Jehovah was not in the fire. And after the fire, a soft gentle voice. (Darby, I Kings 19: 9-12)

Eddy: “The Soul-inspired patriarchs heard the voice of Truth, and talked with God as consciously as man talks with man.” Also, “The understanding, even in a degree, of the divine All-power destroys fear, and plants the feet in the true path, -- the path which leads to the house built without hands ‘eternal in the heavens.’”

Self-righteous, condemnatory and prideful behavior appear in both religious and non-religious people. They act like a mental fog which robs us of kindness, empathy, compassion and healing power. Bad influences can be perniciously deceiving, or loud and intimidating. But because they lack TRUTH, they are false and impotent. On the other hand, spiritual thoughts -- the "voice" of TRUTH -- exude the preponderant power of LOVE-GOODNESS. They represent MIND reflected in us, and with them we exude grace, intelligence, and healing efficacy. They vanquish sickness, lack, fear, anger, insecurity, envy, resentment and vengeance. Divine grace is ultimate power because with its holy gentleness it blesses and redeems all.

JR Blog: Commissioned by LOVE

JR Blog: Commissioned by LOVE: Commissioned by LOVE

 In the synagogue was a man who had the spirit of an evil demon in him; he screamed out in a loud voice,     ...
When troubles besiege us and we are lost and disconnected from GOOD/GOD, let’s recall that GOD/SOUL needs us for its own existence.  This is why we are always connected to TRUTH/GOD.  

Commissioned by LOVE

Commissioned by LOVE

In the synagogue was a man who had the spirit of an evil demon in him; he screamed out in a loud voice,  Ah! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Are you here to destroy us? I know who you are: you are God's holy messenger! Jesus ordered the spirit, “Be quiet and come out of the man!” The demon threw the man down in front of them and went out of him without doing him any harm. The people were all amazed and said to one another, “What kind of words are these? With authority and power this man gives orders to the evil spirits, and they come out!” And the report about Jesus spread everywhere in that region. (GN, Luke 4: 33-37)

Eddy: “Jesus cast out evil spirits, or false beliefs.”  And, “He understood man, whose Life is God, to be immortal, and knew that man has not two live, one to be destroyed and the other to be made indestructible.”

PRINCIPLE has equipped us with Christ’s command to expel suffering and sin.  Irrespective of how bad conditions are, LIFE-TRUTH is infinitely more – in fact, it is the all-good of our lives.  TRUTH-impelled magnificence, intelligence and wholeness define us, overthrow all afflictions, and multiply our health and supply.  

And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. And God was with the lad, and he grew. And he dwelt in the wilderness, and became, as he grew up, an archer.  (ASV, Gen. 21:17-20)

Eddy: “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.”  Also, “In divine Science, man is sustained by God, the divine Principle of being.” And, “Love is impartial and universal in it adaptation and bestowals.”

When troubles besiege us and we are lost and disconnected from GOOD/GOD, let’s recall that GOD/SOUL needs us for its own existence.  This is why we are always connected to TRUTH/GOD.  LOVE/GOD’s prolific and empowering outpourings of comfort, health, wisdom and blessings are pervading our lives at every moment.  They liberate us from troubles, direct us in productive pathways, and generate victories.  LOVE is our inexhaustible well of dynamic and healing solutions. 

SOUL Sparkles in You

By

Julio C. Rivas, CS

There are individuals who express a high dosage of spiritual qualities, and do so even when they are being marginalized by others.  Whether these individuals believe in God or not, they are still expressing SOUL’s spiritual qualities. 

Have you ever heard of the 20^th century mathematical genius, Amalie Noether?  Most people haven’t.  She is one of those admirable individuals whose human character expressed so much of SOUL. 

Albert Einstein called her the most “significant” and “creative” female mathematician of all time.  After Einstein published his general theory of relativity in 1915, she invented her own theorem called Noether’s theorem.  It unites symmetry in nature and the universal laws of conservation.  To some physicists and mathematicians today her theorem is as important as Einstein’s general theory.  It underpins a great deal of today’s cutting edge research in physics. 

Lisa Randall, professor of particle physics and cosmology at Harvard says that Noether’s theorem elucidates critical relationships: “… energy, momentum and other quantities we take for granted gain meaning and even greater value when we understand how these quantities follow symmetry in time and space.”  Ranson Stephens, another physicist, says that her theorem “is the backbone on which all of modern physics is built.”

Emmy (as she was called) was persistent, resilient and disciplined.  Although her father was a distinguished math professor at the universities of Erlangen and Heidelberg, she was not allowed to matriculate because of rules barring women.  What did she do?  Emmy audited all the courses at the University of Erlangen and did so well on her final exams that she was granted a bachelor’s degree.  This opened doors for her to do graduate work at the University of Gottingen and later to earn a doctorate (summa cum laude) from the University of Erlangen. 

Emmy’s brilliance and friendly disposition earned her the respect and support of her male peers and superiors.  David Hilbert, a top mathematician of her day, tried to get her hired as a professor at the University of Gottingen but, because of the administration’s biases against women, she was refused.  So Hilbert hired her as one of his staff assistants and she became a permanent “guest lecturer” at the university.  Her relationships with her male peers were so strong that they welcomed her as a fellow swimmer at their male-only pool.

Emmy was devoted to her students and they were devoted to her.  Her students, who were primarily young men, were known at the university as Noether’s boys. 

She loved mathematics and cared nothing for personal possessions.  She often responded to challenges with a sense of humor.  She laughed and smiled often. 

Being a Jew she was fired from her post when Nazism took over in Germany.  But Einstein helped her secure a permanent position at Bryn Mawr College, where she was deeply valued by staff and students. 

Whether someone is religious, or not, SOUL is the delineator of their being, as it is of all being.  We are constructed of SOUL’s spiritual qualities and when we express them we can leap over troubles. 

LOVE-SOUL incites our Christly qualities and might into fructiferous action.  Our Christ-spirit obliterates hateful, ignorant, insidious and obstinate resistance to LOVE-enforced wisdom, health and progress.  Like it has done so always, man’s expression of MIND’s intelligent, valiant and loving ideas – the Christ-spirit -- will consistently produce salubrious and enhancing outcomes. 

MIND-instigated Victories

By

Julio C. Rivas, CS

Sometimes it seems that we are drowning in problems.  This is how many admirable and high-accomplishing people felt at various times in their lives. 

The apostle Paul, who experienced many setbacks, betrayals, abandonment and torture, must have found himself lost on many occasions.  There is, for example, the time when after experiencing several setbacks and sufferings he gets bitten by a venomous serpent.  Prior to the snake bite he had been enslaved, almost thrown overboard the sailing ship, and narrowly escaped a sea storm.  Although the ship was destroyed by the storm all the men were able to swim to shore.  Then while he’s making a fire to warm the men he gets bitten by the serpent.  But Paul yields to the imperial power of SPIRIT and this antidotes the serpent’s venom.  This experience impacted everyone around him and many of them became followers of the Christ-message. 

Because difficulties and setbacks can appear suddenly we should remain spiritually synchronized to the superlative presence of LOVE-SPIRIT. But even when our thinking is disconnected from SPIRIT-MIND, we can link up again because SPIRIT keeps us within its superlative grace.

Jesus, who knew extreme suffering up close, emboldens us with this statement: “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions (and dragons), and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” 

SOUL possesses and manifests maximum intelligence and power.  SOUL expresses us and we derive from SOUL outstanding spiritual intelligence and authority.   This makes us victorious over any and all disease, fear and distress. When we are working in rhythm with SOUL we express triumphant wisdom, health and love.

We also have this profound declaration by Jesus: “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” 

To accept that our names – our spiritual identities -- are written in heaven is to understand ourselves as MIND’s oeuvre, as its triumphant, eternal, incorporeal and beautiful ideas.  We overcome all hindrances when we yield to the matter-shattering and SPIRIT-glorifying revelations of MIND.  Clear spiritual reasoning, combined with conviction and grace, produces success after success. 

We can draw courage from the characters of early Christianity.  Jesus experienced and conquered the crucifixion.  The disciple John overcame many trials, including surviving being put into a vat of boiling oil.  The 1^st – 3^rd century Christians healed thousands, overcame extreme suffering, and resurrected many from sin and death.

Impressive theologian and healer, M. B. Eddy wrote: “To infinite, ever-present Love, all is Love, and there is no error, sin, sickness, nor death.”

“Serpents, scorpions and dragons” vanish before the realization that we are subsumed, defined and fueled by the all-intelligence and all-health-life of LOVE-MIND.

SOUL’s Great Grace

                                                                               

SOUL’s Great Grace

by

Julio C. Rivas, CS

 A man named Zacchaeus was there. He was the head tax collector, and he was a rich man. He wanted to see who Jesus was but he could not see him because he was a short man and there were many people around him. So he ran ahead and climbed into a tree to see Jesus, for he was coming that way. When Jesus came to the tree, he looked up. He said, `Zacchaeus, come down right now. I must stay at your house today.' So Zacchaeus came down right then. He was glad to have Jesus come in his house. When all the people saw this, they did not like it. They said, `He has gone to visit a bad man.' Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, `Look, Lord, I will give to the poor people half of all I have. And if I have cheated anyone, I will give him back four times as much as I took.' Jesus said to him, `The head of this house has been saved today! He also is a son of Abraham. The Son of Man came to look for and to save those who are lost.' (WE, Luke 19:1-10)

Eddy: “Truth destroys error, and Love destroys hate.  Being destroyed, sin needs no other form of forgiveness.”  And, “The real man cannot depart from holiness, nor can God, by whom man I evolved, engender the capacity or freedom to sin.  A mortal sinner is not God’s man.”

Tax collectors belonged to a privileged and politically powerful class because they collected revenue for the Jewish religious authority and the Roman magistrate.  They had a reputation for being despotic and dishonest.  By going out of his way to see Jesus, a man who had a reputation for integrity and spiritual power, this tax collector was acting on an inner yearning for righteousness.  Jesus detected this, welcomed him into the redemptive energies of LOVE, and the man responded by submitting to a character metamorphosis. 

Daily life provides plenty of examples of how avarice for fame, power and control, plus conceit, perfidy, and self-justification destroy trust among us, and weaken our institutions and society.  MIND-induced values and intelligence are the antidote.  They re-construct us and restart us, and then we produce amazing achievements. 
CHRIST-TRUTH is calling us to submit to a spiritual transmutation and enjoy overflowing wellness and achievement. 

SOUL-MIND shapes our spiritual individuality and reforms our human character.  Evil motives and acts are abrogated by our spiritual coalescing with MIND-LOVE.   Spiritual development replaces obstinate flaws and failures with SOUL-fed wisdom, talents and success.  It reveals our divine composition. 

Raising Children Who Possess Character and Wisdom

                                     Raising Children Who Possess Character and Wisdom

By

Julio C. Rivas, CS

 

 Today’s rat race to get ahead and be successful starts before pre-school in most driven families.  There are expensive, tutoring sessions for parents to get toddlers into the best pre-school program.  From pre-school to high school, children will experience exhausting levels of homework, training for test taking, private tutoring, success-focused summer camps, and endless pressure from perfectionist, ever-hovering, over-bearing parents (“helicopter parents” and “tiger moms”).

                University of Chicago economist and Nobel Prize winner James Heckman says that this anxiety-pressure-loaded behavior is driven by the well-established, but errant belief that developing children’s cognitive skills is foremost for success.  The predominant approach is to stuff children with academic information and train them to regurgitate it well.  This is how families and schools expect children to succeed.

Contrary to this hypothesis is the expanding argument among neuroscientists, psychologists, educators and economists, that non-cognitive skills, like self-reliance, self-control, persistence, adaptability, creativity and curiosity are primal to a child’s healthy development.  Children develop character via creative and intellectual experimentation, by struggling through failure and adversity, and by adapting and starting again.

Studies have shown that excessive praise and pushing by high-charging parents is counterproductive to a child’s development.  It diminishes children’s self-reliance, confidence, curiosity and the willingness to experiment and fail.  Hands-off parenting is not the answer either because children without a life-compass will get lost.  It takes a balance between authoritative parenting and promoting independent thinking and actions.

By the time teenagers enter high school, many are depleted.   The parents do not see it because they are blinded by their materialistic version of success.  But their teenagers suffer from emptiness, self-loathing and despair.  Some will turn to prescription drugs, alcohol, uncommitted sex, cheating, and, sometimes, suicide.   More often than not, they will put up a good front, and continue to try hard to please and fulfill their parents’ success-focused wishes.   

Adoring, well-educated, high-achieving, and wealthy parents do not perceive that the materialistic culture at home and school are tearing apart the soul of their children.  Madeline Levine, an author of two books on this subject, and a clinical psychologist who treats the teenagers of affluent families in Marin County, California, is a personal witness to the anxiety and disconnectedness they suffer.  “The cost of this relentless drive to perform at unrealistically high levels is a generation of kids who resemble nothing so much as trauma victims;” and “Our current version of success is a failure,” Levine writes. 

We need to re-define success so that it is not so weighted by wealth and power.  We are healthier and happiest when we’ve forged deep, trust-rich relationships, and when we are pursuing goals that reward our soul. 

Raising children with character and wisdom prepares them for the demands of a rapidly changing economy and world.  Character qualities like integrity, gratitude, empathy, joy, originality, experimentation, resilience, and determination compound fulfillment and success. 

As a spiritual therapist who has worked with children and teenagers, I know from experience the importance of nourishing a child’s character.  Because my starting premise is that we are first and foremost infinite Love’s spiritual beings, I see character as rooted in a person’s spiritual selfhood. 

One’s spiritual selfhood is limitless, brilliant, complete and healthy.  It represents the continuous unfolding of infinite Love-Mind.  

Insightful theologian, Mary B. Eddy, defines the incorporeal essence of children as “The spiritual thoughts and representatives of Life, Truth, and Love.”  It is also a definition that describes everyone’s transcendent nature. 

I’ve witnessed how these concepts liberate parents and their children from the harmful effects of aggressive materialism.   One particular case involved a dangerous loss of weight by an intelligent, high-achieving, teenage girl.  She had parents who adored her and was being raised in an educated and privileged household.  The doctors consulted had not been able to correct the problem. 

Our sessions together, and our prayers, generated new insights and perspectives for all.  It restored the young girl back to complete health.  She obtained the courage and skill to communicate with her parents more clearly.  The parents realized the importance of giving her more choices and independence.  In turn, the girl used her new independence to thrive in areas of her choosing. 

Children raised in religious households can suffer the same oppressive, suffocating involvement experienced by those in secular households.  Loving parents -- religious and secular-- need to back off and examine themselves.  They may find that their well-meaning, but over-bearing parenting is not helpful but toxic. 

I’ve often encouraged parents to think about what parental changes this biblical verse, which describes Jesus’ early development, might induce: “The little child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God's goodness was upon him.”

Love’s wisdom induces us to wrestle with and eliminate bad parental habits.  It ameliorates anxiety, fear and possessiveness.  It encourages and assists children to discover their innate, Soul-given, spiritual attributes. 

Parents and children express a more spiritual sense of success and happiness when they behave as the representatives of Soul that they actually are.