As we proceed with the commentary of the Eighteenth Saying of Jamil, we continue with The Man (who would have celebrated his ninety-fourth birthday yesterday) discussing the relationship between men and women in The Community and the significance of married people evolving towards a spiritual marriage at a certain point in their lives. This portion of the commentary also touches on how families within The Community – mother, father, and, importantly, children – essentially become a ministry unto themselves as they strive to create a new race of Light brings on earth.
The Eighteenth Saying (Part 3)
And The Man continued to speak.
“‘The Patriarchs will withdraw from the affairs of Man. They will be free to advise, counsel and guide the rulers and leaders of the world to spiritual ends. If a person is not divested of all earthly ties, that person foresees earthly solutions to earthly problems, whereas a truly devout and spiritual person will give spiritual solutions to earthly problems.
“‘Chastity was mentioned in the Saying. We must examine this state from several points of view. First, it is a natural state for a man of old age after having fulfilled his parental obligations. It is also the natural course for any man who truly wishes to emulate Christ. There is also a third point, often overlooked, which one should consider; chastity is a natural state for a man and a woman as they age in marriage. Men often overlook the fact that a truly spiritual woman wishes and desires to be loved spiritually, much more than she does physically. Men often have the tendency to see women simply as an object of pleasure, to be used for their entertainment and their lust. This is not the way women see themselves. A woman sees herself as a living spirit, every bit as noble and with all the merit of a man, and she wishes to be loved in spirit. Once a man begins to love a woman, as well as their children, in spirit and relinquishes attitudes of force, arrogance, tyranny, or brutality, he evolves to a higher state than simply manhood.
“‘Marriage should not be based on control. Spiritual love creates a much closer relationship, and the family indeed becomes Christ-like and a symbol of love and peace on earth. Where there is the love of Christ, there is permanence and beauty. This is a difficult thing for a person, in this case a man, to understand when he is young. However, though it may be very difficult, it is not necessarily impossible. And until a man really understands this and divests himself from the world, he cannot truly say that he is in the priesthood of God.
“‘Life in the world tends to separate rather than preserve the family. A man loves a woman very much, and they are very close, and they have children. The new addition to the family structure displaces both parents from their original relationship and this tends to separate them from one another through lack of understanding. When the children grow up, they become separated from the heads of the family. And over a period of time the family may be separated by illness and is finally separated by death. So, what does one have at the end of a lifetime? We certainly cannot say that life preserves marriage, family, or the physical body. Everything in this life passes away.
“‘The object of man and woman is to become spiritual so that they can go on to an afterlife together as friends, and with a memory of having been a family. So it is the spirit, it is Christ that keeps families together, not the world. The family is a nuclear unit. This religion is a nuclear religion that encourages the establishment of families that can bring into existence a special race of Light-bearing men and women. With the family elevated to its highest level through the man and the woman in God, the children do, in fact, become part of the ministry. And as members of a nuclear religion, the man, the woman, and the children are all part of the ministry together. In other words, the man does not become a priest and take the vow of chastity and separate himself from his family. That is a kind of selfishness. On the contrary, we do not draw further away but, like Krishna, we draw closer to our families once we remove ourselves into a higher level of Christ state.’”
Next week, when we continue with the Eighteenth Saying, the commentary will focus further on the symbolic nature of man and woman and their spiritual roles in The Community.
On Monday you should have received emails from us concerning next month’s virtual 2021 Cosolargy Conference. You will excuse the initial confusion on the dates, but the Conference will begin on Sunday the 6th of June, which is Pentecost in our Sacred Calendar – a very important day. Beginning with the Sunday Sunrise Divine Service – which will be streamed, as usual via the Facebook Cosolargy Members Forum – another event will also be streamed later in the day. That event is a message that I will deliver live at the Monastery Gardens of the Red Rock Consecrated Sanctuary.
The following Saturday – June 12 – we will host an international Zoom session at 2 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time. This is when we ask that you log in and join other members of The Community from all around the world. During this time, you will be able to take a virtual tour of The Community and see some of our activities in many parts of the world, including Japan, Mexico, Australia and, of course, here in the United States.
Additional information and details will be sent to you over the next several days, so please mark this day and time in your calendar. We are hoping to have as many Community members as can participate from all around the world. I thank you for making this a priority.
Again, if I may be of any personal service to you, please do not hesitate to contact me.