Oneness is the meaning of Thomas 22. Here Christ urges the seeker to “make the two one” and prepare to enter the kingdom of God.
Oddly, this logion [saying of Christ] is the lone instance in which Thomas the Apostle, or Jesus himself, makes use of ancient yogic practices. This commentary examines the meaning of Thomas 22 and provides a mind-body approach to the practical oneness meditation.
I wish to invite willing readers to explore a radical new prayer idea. Scrap all of your self-imposed limitations on what you think God will or won’t do for you. From this day forth I ask you to forget about what seems “possible,” or “reasonable,” or what you think you don’t deserve—and let God give you everything that your dreams never dreamed of.
Let’s cut to the truth. If God is a father and son, where on earth is Mother? Why, she’s right here inside us. In the same way that Father and Brother are with us, the Holy Spirit is always present, always loving us, always helping us get along. Due to the emails people send, it’s safe to say that most readers are well acquainted with the masculine aspects of God. Since 2015, however, more and more folks have asked for help in understanding the Holy Spirit.
Continue reading Mother Stories: Understanding the Holy Spirit
Be you a Christian, Jewish, atheist or otherwise, you are not a goat. It is rather unlikely that you might one day change into a goat. Or a sheep, for that matter. No, you are a human being—a “son of man” in Christ’s day—and valuable to God. That’s what St. Matthew believed, the Jewish author of The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. So let the fire and brimstone image go because your Father loves you. Those plagued by self inflicted goat trauma can breathe easier with a few short words from the shepherd to his flock:
I must confess to stumbling off the path of late. Mostly this was due to worldly concerns, which include but are not limited to cursing at buggy software, nonstop work, and a small financial surprise when I took Elena, my assistant, to buy a new Apple computer. In order to fix my troubles, though my straights were not dire, I set about reclaiming my Father in heaven.
Gospel of Mary, as the text is named—though it is made clear that “Mary” is Mary Magdalene—is a well preserved codex discovered in the late 19th century near Akhmim, in upper Egypt. It was later purchased in 1896 by German scholar Dr. Carl Reinhardt, who took it to Berlin.[1]
Gospel of Mary (Magdalene) (pdf)
Download in Microsoft Word (docx)
Translation and commentary in English
By George W. Macrae and R. McL. Wilson
Edited by Douglas M. Parrott
Estimated date of writing: 30 – 180 CE
Large image: Ascension of Mary Magdalene, c. 1430 / National Museum in Warsaw
Peter said to Mary, “Sister, we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of woman.”
Gospel of Mary
The Lord loved Mariam more than all the other Disciples, and he kissed her often on her mouth.
Gospel of Philip 59
Two thousand years and twelve
hitherto today, Love, attained
in this wintry foreign land
the hearts of we, its dwellers.
Incarnate, creation’s Master
now come human boy, illumined
in joy the nature of All.
Laws of life, of Love disclosed
in the image of oneself oddly
creation’s Master
now come human boy,
seemed rather more to be
much like thou and me.
Misgiving hearts, come!
See oneself made young
indescribable forever-joy, be
thy gift of the human boy:
now come children,
we shall perish the winter.
These orb photos at Shrine of St. Thérèse, captured unawares, are just as silent and unusual as the little shrine itself. Such is the nature of spirit – God’s greatest gifts are not always so obvious. Set in Juneau, Alaska, cloaked within a rain forest enclave on a tiny island paradise, the shrine’s rustic beach-stone chapel is invisible to the casual passerby. But few people pass by here, beyond the outskirts of town.
Back in 2008, on the last day of the Alaskan tourist season, we were probably the only non-Juneaites within 30 miles. Despite a deeply mystical air that surrounded the lovely garden paradise, visions of orbs (or ghosts) had not come to mind.
