{"id":20430,"date":"2021-08-27T09:41:38","date_gmt":"2021-08-27T13:41:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=20430"},"modified":"2021-08-27T09:49:39","modified_gmt":"2021-08-27T13:49:39","slug":"universal-christ-mystics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=20430","title":{"rendered":"Universal Christ Mystics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jLUM48jPBBw\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" <p=\"\"><em>Perhaps<br \/>\nPerhaps because the Romans never occupied Ireland and parts of Scotland, the Celtic Christianity that developed there retained its connection to the natural world. The writer John Philip Newell explains how Pelagius (c. 354\u2013418), an early and frequently misunderstood Celtic Christian theologian, saw creation as good and a revelation of God\u2019s very being. Much of Christian history wrongly interpreted this as Pelagius saying we did not need grace to be saved, whereas he was simply saying that nature was precisely created to receive grace! It is all grace from beginning to end! Newell comments:<br \/>\nThe most typical mark of the spirituality of the Celtic tradition apparent in Pelagius\u2019 writings is his strong sense of the goodness of creation, in which the life of God can be glimpsed. Everywhere, he says, \u2018narrow shafts of divine light pierce the veil that separates heaven from earth.\u2019 [1] To a friend he wrote:<br \/>\nLook at the animals roaming the forest: God\u2019s spirit dwells within them. Look at the birds flying across the sky: God\u2019s spirit dwells within them. Look at the tiny insects crawling in the grass: God\u2019s spirit dwells within them. . . . Look too at the great trees of the forest; look at the wild flowers and the grass in the fields; look even at your crops. God\u2019s spirit is present within all plants as well. The presence of God\u2019s spirit in all living things is what makes them beautiful; and if we look with God\u2019s eyes, nothing on the earth is ugly. [2]<br \/>\nBecause Pelagius saw God as present within all that has life, he understood Jesus\u2019 command to love our neighbor as ourself to mean loving not only our human neighbor but all the life forms that surround us. \u2018So when our love is directed towards an animal or even a tree,\u2019 he wrote, \u2018we are participating in the fullness of God\u2019s love.\u2019 [3] [4]<br \/>\nThomas Berry (1914\u20132009), a modern mystic who shares similar insights, was a Catholic priest of the Passionist order as well as a cultural historian and eco-theologian. I have been very impressed with his writings and his call to participate in what he calls \u201cThe Great Work\u201d of our time, which \u201cis to carry out the transition from a period of human devastation of the Earth to a period when humans would be present to the planet in a mutually beneficial manner.\u201d [5] Berry writes:<br \/>\nIn reality there is a single integral community of the Earth that includes all its component members whether human or other than human. In this community every being has its own role to fulfill, its own dignity, its inner spontaneity. Every being has its own voice. Every being declares itself to the entire universe. Every being enters into communion with other beings. This capacity for relatedness, for presence to other beings, for spontaneity in action, is a capacity possessed by every mode of being throughout the entire universe.<br \/>\nSPEND TIME WITH ME for the pure pleasure of being in My company. I can brighten up the dullest of gray days; I can add sparkle to the routines of daily life. You have to repeat so many tasks day after day. This monotony can dull your thinking until your mind slips into neutral. A mind that is unfocused is vulnerable to the world, the flesh, and the devil, all of which exert a downward pull on your thoughts. As your thinking processes deteriorate, you become increasingly confused and directionless. The best remedy is to refocus your mind and heart on Me, your constant Companion. Even the most confusing day opens up before you as you go step by step with Me. My Presence goes with you wherever you go, providing Light for your path.<br \/>\nPSALM 43:4; Then I will go to the altar of God,To God my exceeding joy;And upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God.<br \/>\nPSALM 63:7\u20138; Because thou hast been my help, Therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee: Thy right hand upholdeth me. |<br \/>\nPSALM 119:105; Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.<\/p>\n<p>Young, Sarah. Jesus Calling Morning and Evening Devotional (Jesus Calling\u00ae) (p. 494). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n<p><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Perhaps because the Romans never occupied Ireland and\nparts of Scotland, the Celtic Christianity that developed there retained its\nconnection to the natural world. The writer John Philip Newell explains how\nPelagius (c. 354\u2013418), an early and frequently misunderstood Celtic Christian\ntheologian, saw creation as good and a revelation of God\u2019s very being. Much of\nChristian history wrongly interpreted this as Pelagius saying we did not need\ngrace to be saved, whereas he was simply saying that nature was precisely\ncreated to receive grace! It is all grace from beginning to end! Newell\ncomments: <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The most typical mark of the spirituality of the Celtic\ntradition apparent in Pelagius\u2019 writings is his strong sense of the goodness of\ncreation, in which the life of God can be glimpsed. Everywhere, he says,\n\u2018narrow shafts of divine light pierce the veil that separates heaven from\nearth.\u2019 [1] To a friend he wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Look at the animals roaming the forest: God\u2019s spirit dwells\nwithin them. Look at the birds flying across the sky: God\u2019s spirit dwells\nwithin them. Look at the tiny insects crawling in the grass: God\u2019s spirit\ndwells within them. . . . Look too at the great trees of the forest; look at\nthe wild flowers and the grass in the fields; look even at your crops. God\u2019s\nspirit is present within all plants as well. The presence of God\u2019s spirit in\nall living things is what makes them beautiful; and if we look with God\u2019s eyes,\nnothing on the earth is ugly. [2]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because Pelagius saw God as present within all that has life,\nhe understood Jesus\u2019 command to love our neighbor as ourself to mean loving not\nonly our human neighbor but all the life forms that surround us. \u2018So when our\nlove is directed towards an animal or even a tree,\u2019 he wrote, \u2018we are\nparticipating in the fullness of God\u2019s love.\u2019 [3] [4]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Thomas Berry (1914\u20132009), a modern mystic who shares\nsimilar insights, was a Catholic priest of the Passionist order as well as a\ncultural historian and eco-theologian. I have been very impressed with his\nwritings and his call to participate in what he calls \u201cThe Great Work\u201d of our\ntime, which \u201cis to carry out the transition from a period of human devastation\nof the Earth to a period when humans would be present to the planet in a\nmutually beneficial manner.\u201d [5] Berry writes:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In reality there is a single\nintegral community of the Earth that includes all its component members whether\nhuman or other than human. In this community every being has its own role to\nfulfill, its own dignity, its inner spontaneity. Every being has its own voice.\nEvery being declares itself to the entire universe. Every being enters into\ncommunion with other beings. This capacity for relatedness, for presence to\nother beings, for spontaneity in action, is a capacity possessed by every mode\nof being throughout the entire universe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SPEND TIME WITH ME for the pure pleasure of being in My\ncompany. I can brighten up the dullest of gray days; I can add sparkle to the\nroutines of daily life. You have to repeat so many tasks day after day. This\nmonotony can dull your thinking until your mind slips into neutral. A mind that\nis unfocused is vulnerable to the world, the flesh, and the devil, all of which\nexert a downward pull on your thoughts. As your thinking processes deteriorate,\nyou become increasingly confused and directionless. The best remedy is to\nrefocus your mind and heart on Me, your constant Companion. Even the most\nconfusing day opens up before you as you go step by step with Me. My Presence\ngoes with you wherever you go, providing Light for your path. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;PSALM 43:4; Then I\nwill go to the altar of God,To God my exceeding joy;And upon the lyre I shall\npraise You, O God, my God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PSALM 63:7\u20138; Because thou hast been my help, Therefore in\nthe shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee: Thy\nright hand upholdeth me. |<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PSALM 119:105; Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on\nmy path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Young, Sarah. Jesus Calling Morning and Evening Devotional\n(Jesus Calling\u00ae) (p. 494). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20430"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20430"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20430\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20434,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20430\/revisions\/20434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}