Choice

In our Christian tradition, the goal is sometimes portrayed as Sainthood; Eastern religions would call it enlightenment. Either way it is a closeness and a union with God.

It is a very desirable state, but I hardly ever realize what is going to be asked of me when I pray for that enlightenment and closeness. I think most of us, including myself, think that when I pray for the light, that I will (very soon) be embraced by that light, and know a deep peace of mind and happiness. I believe that will happen, but not right away and perhaps not even soon. What does happen is we are smacked in the face with all that is getting in the way of us being in the light.

It’s quite a spiritual shock. We can very much feel that things are worse rather than better. It is very difficult during this period of cleansing (what we used to call purgatory) to believe in a God of unconditional love. This inner cleansing in its most profound level is probably what Jesus was feeling when he said, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me.”

Hopefully most of us will not experience the depth of that emptiness, but all of us on the path will sometimes experience the seeming distance from God.

One of the many lessons here, which I have spoken of before, is that we are also being cleansed of our attachment to the “feeling” of God’s presence, and yet even though the feeling is not there we continue to choose to act out of love.

Today I ask the question, what are we choosing, even if we do not feel like it?