Wednesday, May 25, 2022
The Twenty-second Saying (Part 15)
“When The Man had thus spoken, a Companion of The Way said, ‘Since earth is material and we are partly material, and since we are engaged in this struggle for the Light, then through our efforts matter can be transformed into higher forms of energy which could manifest and assist us in our quest for the enlightenment of not only ourselves but of the world.’
“And The Man responded to him by giving an illustration. ‘Just as the physical, material sun is used by God to reveal Knowledge of Himself to the human race, then the bodies of humankind must also be used to teach The Way to the race. Once man and woman are put in contact with their heritage – their spirit – they become Instruments of God’s Will on earth, which is to teach the human race the Judgements and the Statutes that will be coming out in the future and to establish a whole new concept of government. Once they begin to teach, then other people will follow in growing numbers. These Teachings will create a Community of followers and then the material sun, acting upon the mind and upon the material body through the atomic structure, will begin to change the thinking habits of humankind. The material sun is used by the spiritual Sun as the spiritual Sun is used by God and His Image. Thus we see a chain of events, an inner relationship of spirit to matter.
“The Image and The Word is the sea of rebirth. It is the seminal force – the spermatikos – that creates and generates life in the spirit. The spirit gives birth to the Soul and the Soul then becomes an Instrument of God’s Image and Word. That Soul is nurtured by the Image and The Word for the Soul needs nourishment – Food. The greatest motivating force of living things in the world of nature is the need to eat for survival. The second greatest motivating force is that of procreation. More than anything else, these two great forces are the driving forces of nature. Similarly, the spirit needs to be reborn and needs to eat in order to live. And that is why there are so many religions in the world, so many religious books, and the urge for man and woman to be religious. It is within them. The spirit craves nourishment and life.’
“Then said a disciple, ‘Do you suspect that other suns in the universe having planets around them serve a purpose similar to our sun?’ The Man said, ‘The manifestation of the Sun of Righteousness is a cosmic, universal event.’ And the disciple replied, ‘Then it would affect more than one physical sun, would it not?’
“‘Yes,’ answered the Teacher. ‘However, we have here an enigma, just like the enigma in the allegorical Garden of Eden. Where did God come from? Where did the Devil come from? Why was there a power of Darkness, a Dark angel? Why did they Fall? And the problem is this: If the spirit is not reborn, it cannot see God; it cannot hear His Word. And yet, how is the spirit reborn if it cannot see the Sun of Righteousness? This is one of the most fundamental teachings, not only in this religion, but in the great world religions of antiquity that taught the Way of Light.
“‘In order to have knowledge of The Image and The Word, humankind must be instructed or told. Therefore, God sends a Messenger who proclaims the existence of The Image and The Word. That is what Jamil did. He proclaimed the existence of the Sun of Righteousness in our own era. He laid the foundation for this Church. While God is the True Founder of the Church, Jamil is the Messenger – the Proclaimer – who had been sent by God to speak to humankind. Thus, we see that we must trace our authority to more than a spiritual force, not only for the world to accept it, but in order for the awakening and the rebirth to take place. Jamil came into the world, revealed the message of the existence of The Image and The Word and prepared his disciple – his successor – by ordaining him and quickening his spirit so that it could receive The Image and The Word of God. There has to be a beginning.
“‘Members of this Church have been brought into the Church because of Jamil and because of his successor – in this case, The Man – who is able to awaken in the disciples of The Child and the members of the Church a memory of their spiritual nature and a reason for their being here. This indicates that these people are pre-ordained to be here. They are old wise souls, if I may say so, and once they contact the Church and are drawn into the presence of Jamil’s successor, they are awakened and able to see The Image and The Word. And their rebirth is instantaneous. They are nurtured by The Image and The Word, but there was a beginning – this contact – which is vital.
“‘Again, we see that the physical sun is used. A child was used. Jesus was used. A man or a woman – disciples, humans – are used as the material sun is used to reach the human race. Such are the means available to The Creator.’
“And this was the commentary on the Twenty-Second Saying.”
