Rev. Mary Louise Ruffner
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.
There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
There are different kinds of working,
but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.”
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 (NIV)
The holy communion that takes place in the secret place of the Most High is First Cause. It is the origin of everything that is experienced in the world. Yes, the experiences and conditions we encounter are the effect or the logical outcome of who we believe we are. For example, when we self-identify with what we do for a living; our ethnicity; our gender; our education; and our various titles; i.e., parent, spouse, singer, politician, accountant, artist, etc., we are actually describing how we experience ourselves in the world with its limitations. On the other hand, when we identify with the essence of who we are, such as peace, harmony, love, wisdom, joy, and abundance, etc., we are at once aligned with the limitless and unchanging nature within us all. Both aspects express Love and Law. One is the absolute, one is the relative.
The holy communion that takes place in the secret place of the Most High is meditation. It is a dedicated time when one’s self is alone with one’s Self. The objective of this spiritual practice is to become self-emptied and God-filled. It is here that the absolute and the relative merge as one. It is at this still point, immersed in the silence of pure essence, that the all-powerful, creative force of I AM-awareness conceives and affirms the beginning of something new and wonderful.
When the collective experience of humanity seems overpowering, we must pause, remember, and practice these universal principles as taught in the Science of Mind. First, we must embody the attributes of Spirit that are always with us. Second, we must activate these attributes which are our true identity. Third, we must, individually, begin to do what is ours to do. In so doing, we contribute to the creation of a world that works for everyone. Otherwise, as Ernest Holmes tells us, “To desert the truth in the hour of need is to prove that we do not know the truth.”
Martin Luther King Jr. and Howard Thurman are examples of how, by means of their individual gifts, together accomplished a common goal. “As the human gave way to the divine” these men identified with the peace at the core of their being. Therefore, the essence of peace was infused in all they set forth to do. While civil/human rights for all people were their common mission, their individual approach was according to the unique gift they each expressed.
Yes, each one of us is endowed with the gifts of the Spirit. They are the healing presence of Love, Light, Peace, Joy, Harmony, Beauty, Wisdom, and Abundance. We bless the world when we offer the essence of our True Self.
“…feelings of harmony, peace, and love flow through me like a river, elevating my consciousness to a new and higher level of acceptance and unity.”
~ Ernest Holmes, 365 Science of Mind, p. 44.4 ~
StillPoint 