Wednesday, October 24, 2007

How Serious Is Our Spirituality ?

Ever watched one of those preachers that shouts out the message: "God wants you to have whatever you desire!"

Hmmm...

I think I can agree that God gave us this world as a magnificently provisioned space in which to educate our souls, but . . .

I think some clergy, acting from a desire to swell their membership, preach a rather materialistic brand of spirituality.

A careful reading of today's excerpt will reveal an attitude that appreciates our world while not letting it ensnare our hearts...

"… they that tread the path of faith, they that thirst for the wine of certitude, must cleanse themselves of all that is earthly—their ears from idle talk, their minds from vain imaginings, their hearts from worldly affections, their eyes from that which perisheth. They should put their trust in God, and, holding fast unto Him, follow in His way. Then will they be made worthy of the effulgent glories of the sun of divine knowledge and understanding, and become the recipients of a grace that is infinite and unseen, inasmuch as man can never hope to attain unto the knowledge of the All-Glorious, can never quaff from the stream of divine knowledge and wisdom, can never enter the abode of immortality, nor partake of the cup of divine nearness and favour, unless and until he ceases to regard the words and deeds of mortal men as a standard for the true understanding and recognition of God and His Prophets."

Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Íqán, paragraphs 1-2, pp. 3-4