No terribly-lengthy replies from me, I hope, wil. A few paragraphs, maybe, before they either get squirrelly, or just plain take too long ...
Of course, now that I've included a few things which we know Thomas will find superfluous, I will add the caveat that IF something has no relevance for you, it's probably best just to ignore it. After all, that's what we ALL do, either witting and awares, or simply by default. We simply DO NOT SEE the large, unfamiliar ships on the horizon, but it's not because they aren't there, let alone waiting full of smallpox to wipe us out upon contact. Fortunately, most of the space ships don't carry such disease, or intend any such conquest, nor do they intend to wipe away Earth['s] religions with one swift motion. But as I invoke the dates and `alternate presentations' of facts below, try and at least consider - yes, I might be correct. And yes, that WILL MEAN that you [some folks especially] will have some quick rewriting, and re-editing to do. No sweat, folks. I hear some of you - are pretty good at it, even make a living that way!
Yes, I did mention the word liturgy, since most Christians do know something about covenants and sacraments ... but that's not really what was occurring to me as the rhyme came to mind. It's not that all of that isn't relevant. It's just that I think what Christ had in mind was - a wee bit simpler. Thomas, of all people, should understand this ... since you were emphasizing it on the Trimurti-Trinity thread a few days ago.
St. Paul's words to the people of Corinth do ring true, from the St. Augustine excerpt. Also note, Paul speaks of a progression in our learning, in our understanding, whereby having been *unprepared* and fed upon milk, we then become able to digest the real MEAT of the issue.
Nevermind that I like transposing letters and arriving at META. That's just me having a bit of fun and being - squirrelly. Still, Paul did remind us that we presently know "through a glass darkly," only to later understand `face to face.' And that goes hand in hand with the Sermon on the Mount, wherein we are told that "the pure of heart shall SEE God." Well it sure as heck changed - I mean
literally changed Moses, whose visage was radiant after this encounter ...
Yes, it does seem that the `Teacher of Righteousness' was none other than Jesus. The time period is right [born ~105BCE, which is already 150 years INTO the Piscean Era of Dagon, Oannes, the `Fisher of Men'] ... and the various records support it. Alexander Jannaeus would have been in power, being the true Herod upon which the Biblical Herod is based - rather than either Antipas or his old man, `The Great.' Is that title sorta like Philip LE BEL, being so *fair* as to burn the Knights Templar at the stake? Methinks so ... along with a few undeserving titles that got associated with Popes [Pious, Clement, etc.]!
But of course, we must draw our own conclusions. The sincere, level-headed and earnest, truth-seeking scholar or aspirant cannot do herself a better favor than to borrow or procure a copy of Cyril Scott's `The Vision of the Nazarene' [1933] from Amazon. In this book you can do some catching up, and get a closer glimpse into the heart and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, the Galilean Master. You will, if you are astute, find several things which will confirm that the author is indeed, Jesus of Nazareth. Moreover, you will see mention of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were discovered in 1946 & '56 - as predicted in this book - only AFTER the book had been published. And sure enough, you will see that the `experts' and savants have, as predicted, only quibbled and harangued about the true nature, origin and significance of those texts, virtually rendering them useless save for the few with the `keys' to their understanding.
Want more Keys? Try `THE IMMORTAL' by J.J. Dewey, first volume free online, 2nd volume together with the first being published by a book of that title, available used - if you hunt around. `The Lost Key of the Buddha' - by the same author - follows in the series, and I am enjoying it, so far. In all of these volumes, the author `John Joseph' meets with John the Beloved Apostle, the Evangelist, and learns from him directly - face to face. John even brings his OWN copy of the Bible, helping J.J. Dewey to understand much which has been misinterpreted by modern Christianity. At the end of `The Immortal,' John has a direct encounter with God - but not surprisingly, cannot see God's face (yet). That particular chapter inspired me especially, and still moves me as I think about it, months later.
I highly recommend `The Immortal,' as well as J.J. Dewey's other works. An online discussion group can be perused, the postings being freely available. Folks, it's the real deal - but I must trust your OWN intuition to verify that - and remember: "There are none so blind as those who REFUSE to see." We all have that - umm, `right.'
So, what I meant by including the word liturgy is just that `in remembrance' is a familiar notion, familiar part of the Sunday service, for most Christians. The "do this" part is where I think people have become confused. Nothing wrong with a blessing at meals, or an acknowledgment of the love being baked into the bread we break. Yet I would submit that Christ enjoined us to do ALL THINGS "in remembrance."
Let me present the same idea another way, as I myself prefer to sometimes consider it ...
In Nov. of 1944 in a letter to a disciple [published in `Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. II'] the `Tibetan Teacher' as he is known to many, had this to say:
Endeavor always to live within the Ashram, which is insulated from glamor, and act "as if" the consciousness of the Ashram was intrinsically your consciousness. Go forth to the service which you are rendering "as if" you remained immovable in the Ashram; live always "as if" the eyes of the entire Ashram were upon you. For the remainder of your life let the esoteric philosophical concept "as if" actuate all you do. It is this constant awareness which the two words "as if" embody that will produce in you a fresh use of the creative imagination.
If we allow it, the Christ does - truly and
literally - GO WITH US ... in whatever we do, under whatever circumstances, so long as we are acting IN SERVICE, with purity of heart, mind and body ... or thought, word & action. One must understand that so to act is to become a mighty reservoir and conduit for the empowering and loving energies of the Master at the heart of the Ashram, which is also to say that we are agents - more or less intelligent & effective - for the distribution of the Living Light and Love of the Christ.
Ashram, used above, refers not to any particular group existing upon the physical plane, or even within the astral and mental spheres of activity. Rather, it is the abstract concept of the Sangha, as related in Buddhism, yet specifically it focuses upon the Buddhic world or plane of the Intuition ... and thus corresponds with true, Perfect Understanding, as invoked by the Christ in the phrase, "There is a Peace which passeth Understanding."
True Understanding, as anyone should realize, transcends the mind - and does not produce dissension or differing points of view, but rather, restores order & balance, eliminates confusion, and opens the door TO the Peace mentioned by the Christ.
"What did the Christ DO?" is a rhetorical question. Either we are focused, in meditation and contemplation, upon the living, loving acts of the Christ ... or else the Christ remains at best symbolic - and therefore, has not `taken incarnation directly' within our lives. The First Initiation is the result of this taking birth, and to such a great event, ALL MEN ARE CALLED. Our world itself, as a whole, is experiencing this Christ-Birth even as we live, and move, and have our being within IT ... within GOD. The Bible, of course, is one of many books which `says it's so' in plain English, since by Goodness, we all know that the words in red are the preserved, actual English spoken by the Son of God, etc.
Truly though, if some of the more impressive miracles are a bit beyond us at present, maybe we could just aim true - Sagittarius-like - for the confirmation [Initiation] in Capricorn, the pouring forth to our fellow men of the `Water of Life' in Aquarius, and trust firm that eventually, even the "turning back and Saving" of Humanity - as Christ illustrated in Pisces - WILL OCCUR, even for each of us, as we render in Loving Service all that has been asked of us and of our Christ-Nature ... for our Fellow Man.
Again, the focus on what Christ DID ... is rhetorical. We, none of us, will be done asking this question - and seeking to put our answers into greater practice - on the day we transition to the next world. And I'll suggest that even then our journey will be different in terms of scenery, while the mission itself evolves, holding to a central *theme*.
That's all that comes to mind at the moment ...
Namaskar
