He descended out of a world in which there is no death into the world of death, and He- this force— has united Himself with the earth; from being a cosmic force He has become a force of the earth. ~Rudolf Steiner
“Soon afterwards his way led him to the town Nain. His disciples and a great crowd followed him. And as he approached the gate of the town, see, a dead man was being carried out, the one and only son of his mother who was a widow. And many people from the town went with her. And when the lord saw her, he was deeply moved, and he said to her, ‘Do not weep!’ And he came up and touched the bier so that the bearers stood still. And he said, ‘Young man, I say to you, stand up!’ And the dead man sat up and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother. Fear took hold of them all. But then they praised the revelation of God and said, ‘A great prophet has risen among us, God is turning to his people again.’ Luke 7:11-17
What are the ways of Christ? What is His way of working? How can we know this?
He has compassion for us and therefore raises up that which is “dead” in us. He captures the living Spirit and brings it forth in us, out of compassion.
What is it that has died in us? What is this dying process of earth existence, which reduces even the most wondrous manifestations of God, like the stars or light or music to dry, dusty definitions? What kills our ideals? Our ambitions? Our relationships? Our striving? There certainly seems to be something “pulling” us in this direction.
When we observe children, especially little ones, we see the life forces which we can recognize as having lost. It is not just the energy, it is the way they take delight in just about everything, and want to explore, touch, jump upon, crawl under, dive into. They make no assumptions. They are open and full of wonder.
Poets and artists see the world in a similar way. All things are there to be picked up and examined, to be loved and taken into confidence in a kind of mutual “knowing.”
What we usually think of as “dead” or “boring” has to do with the loss of insight. When the light within us goes out, how dark that darkness can be! It can lead human beings to utter despair, to substance abuse and self-destruction.
So, whatever we have to do to enlighten our minds, awaken our hearts, take hold of the life forces within us, we should DO THAT. What one habit can we overcome or one new practice, however small, can we take up which will enliven our souls and connect us to the “live streaming” of Christ’s love that awaits us? We cannot know unless we try.
by Carol Kelly
Reflecting Pool 