Part 1 of 2
I remember reading a powerful,
but brief, parable attributed to an Irish priest in the 17th Century
Irish countryside. It went like this: “A priest went to visit a parishioner who
had been absent from the congregation for some time. As they sat in the
parishioner’s small cottage by the coal and peat fire, the older man began
talking about how he didn’t really see the need for attending a formal service
with the congregation.
“As he spoke, the priest gently
reached over, took the fireplace tongs, and gently removed a small red-hot
ember from the fire. He placed it 3-4 inches away but still on the hearth.
“Although noticing the priest’s
actions, the parishioner continued talking about seeing the handiwork of God in
all the lovely natural beauty throughout his small, verdant farm. As he
continued opining, the priest continued to smile and nod. As well, the burning
ember began to grow darker and darker around the edges as it cooled. In just
several minutes, the coal ember was not glowing at all.
“The priest gently picked up the
ember with the tongs and placed it back next to the fire. Shortly, it began to
turn a deep orange around its corners, then throughout.
“The old farmer, eyeing the
ember, suddenly stopped talking and said: ‘I get your point, Father. I’ll be at
Sunday’s Mass.’”
I noticed this same phenomenon
while we were away in New England. At times, I read a daily message in my Emmet
Fox book, I read some passages in the Big Book of AA, and I read some in A
Course In Miracles (ACIM). It was nice to have those resources, but it wasn’t
the same.
After returning home and
attending my regular AA meeting and our ongoing ACIM weekly meeting, I realized
I was like the lump of coal – I had begun to get darker and darker around the
edges while we were away and now, having returned, was getting the “glow”
again.
As I sat in my ACIM meeting,
feeling absolutely at ease and accepted – just as I am – with no overriding
“shoulds” or “oughts” to be regurgitated among pleasantly polite adages spoken
within the meeting, I was immensely aware of the love of the Master I felt present.
I truly felt peaceful, accepted,
contented, myself.
Ahhh! Life is so good. The
Course material is so right on.
Too bad others don’t know this
feeling. I feel sorry for them. I’m so grateful I’ve progressed beyond
fear-based religiosity.
STOP!
Continued in Part 2
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