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"To
me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, Every cubic inch of
space is a miracle. Walt
Whitman
The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord .... Proverbs
20:27
The
miracle, of course, was not that the oil for the sacred light - in a
little cruse - lasted as long as they say; but that the courage of the
Maccabees lasted to this day: let that nourish my flickering spirit.
Charles
Reznikoff
"Light" and the
significance that it plays in the upcoming Hanukkah and Christmas
celebrations and observances, impels me to want to understand more of
what is behind these events than what I have learned from traditional
celebrations. Dr. Holmes writes in the Science of Mind, "In
flashes of illumination, the inspired have seen into the very Center of
Reality, and have brought back with them a distinct impression of what
they have seen and felt." And most of us have felt this
"flash of Light, or Intelligence" at times in our lives.
Perhaps we felt it when we finally became aware of an answer we had been
seeking, or realized the value of an idea that rose to our conscious
awareness. "Light" signifies Intelligence, the aspect of
G-d that moves through our mind as thought, as ideas, and as
inspiration. "Light" is attributed as being the Divine
Creative Energy that called all living things into being,"
according to Dr. Holmes ... "Let there be light and there was
light." In other words, Intelligence living in and through
the physical life of everyone and all living things.
This "Light" or Intelligence is the
Thing Itself, moving through our hearts and minds, impelling us to hope,
to expect, and to accept a good result to all that we do. This is
why Charles Reznikoff tells us that it was the "courage of the
Maccabees" that was the true miracle we should celebrate and
acknowledge during Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. In this
awareness, we understand that G-d cannot act alone, G-d must act through
us, in order to act for us. G-d requires our courage, our faith,
and our persistence, in order to unfold the "seeming miracles"
that we experience or that others have experienced. "All
things are possible with G-d," is true, as long as we cooperate
with the Law of G-d and do our part. And it is this doing our part
that is so important as we enter into this observance of Hanukkah.
The courage of the Maccabees
was sustained by faith and the inspiration of knowing that there was
Something Greater working for them ... Something far more powerful than
those who opposed them. They chose to keep the faith and to let
the inspiration from G-d lift them to a greater consciousness of
security and protection. Rather than give in to fear, hopelessness
and despair, they chose G-d. And we can make this same choice when
faced with seemingly desperate circumstances.
Dr. Frank Richelieu writes: "No
matter what you have let govern your life up to now, you can transcend
it by deciding what shall govern your life from this moment on.
Everything which has been uncomfortable and has governed your life up to
now suddenly becomes secondary when you begin to operate from the one
self-governing Power, the one Intelligence, the one Law and the one
Principle. When you make primary in your consciousness that which
has, in truth, been primary all the time, then you are being governed by
First Cause."
That which within us is greater than that which
is in the world, but so often we fail to make the choices that activates
this changeless truth. We can read in Proverbs that "the
spirit of man is the candle of the Lord," and for many of us it has
been difficult, at best, to identify personally with this statement.
Yet, it is the truth for each of us and we activate this candle or light
with our faith. The candles burned for eight days for the
Maccabees and this is only one of a multitude of miracles that can be
attributed to faith. When Paul stated that "faith is the
substance of things hoped for," he was explaining this seeming
miracle and more like them. Even in modern times there have been
documented instances when faith increased the substance of something
material. Those who don't believe in miracles probably won't be
convinced of this, but it is true nonetheless.
Hanukkah,
also spelled Chanukah, reminds people of the illuminating light that
comes from their faith in G-d. Although Hanukkah remains
predominantly observed by those of the Jewish faith, we can all benefit
from this great story of faith. It is very inspiring and uplifting
to realize that Hanukkah represents the changeless Truth of G-d's Love
for each and every one of us. It is a wonderful blessing to be
assured that no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, G-d is
right there, right where we are. The miracle of the oil lasting
eight days is evidence that with G-d all things are possible ... and we
too will experience miracles in our own lives as we trust that this
Mystic Light is within all of us ... and that means you and me.
AND
SO IT IS!
Keep
the faith!
Rev.
Dr. Henry Lee Bates
Visit Rev. Bates BLOG: Living
the Science of Mind
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