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Poem~The Rose
I reached for the Rose
And bled from the reaching
To learn the lesson
Only such pain teaches
And to fit my soul to smell the Rose
Holding it tenderly in the palm of open hands
Knowing the preciousness of such a moment
Of bliss and the Promise of Eternity.
The Symbol of Rose and Flower
The red Rose is a Christian symbol of the Virgin Mary or the blood shed by Jesus Christ on the cross. The rose represents secrecy; confessionals are often adorned with a five-petaled rose. A masonic symbol is three roses, symbolizing light, love, and life. Among varied peoples flowers have represented paradise and feminine beauty. The opening of a bud signifies creation (the manifesting of the energy moving outward from the center) and the energy of the sun. Flowers symbolize youth and vitality and, due to their impermanence, imply fragility.
Comments
Knowledge is a function of being. When there is a change in the being of the knower, there is a corresponding change in the nature and amount of knowing.
*Aldous Huxley (1884-1963)
Christian mysticism claims this premise: There is always much more to know and experience than the human person typically knows and experiences. The Christian mystic claims there is a whole domain of experience and knowledge largely unexplored by most persons and pertaining to the spiritual world. This is not because God has not created human persons with potential of knowing intimately the inner significances of spiritual teaching. Rather, we do not see until we are prepared to see. We must become that which we have yet to see, then, we will see~This is part of the purpose of contemplative prayer, for it refines the organ of spiritual receptivity and heightens the frequency, so to speak, at which we can sense and discern.
Jesus implied this truth of being before knowing to his disciples, while indicating the Holy Spirit will lead us to greater knowledge~For God wills us to know those things hidden to us at present; the Creator, being Love, does not will to withhold any good from his sons and daughters that they are prepared to receive:
12 “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. (St. John 16.12-13, NLT, emphasis mine)
Suggestions for Reflection
1) What does the Rose in the opening poem mean to you? Explain.
2) Do you affirm Christ desires to teach you spiritual matters that the Holy Spirit has been unable to teach you?
3) What pattern do you find among the different parts of the reading today?
4) Do you agree, or not, that one failure of the churches is failing to lead Christians beyond logical knowledge to spiritual discernment of deeper truths~thus, blocking the desire of the Holy Spirit to lead us beyond rudimentary doctrines and moral teachings? Whom do you think is principally at fault in this failure?
5) How can OneLife help in leading persons toward deeper, more comprehensive knowledge of spiritual teachings~see Submit Query below?
For questions, comments, or booking Brian for book reading, speaking, workshop, or retreat, send email through Submit Query below.
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