of overcoming states of evil. This
process actually began in His infancy
and extended right up to His death on
the cross.
When we celebrate Christmas,
especially when we focus on the Lord
taking on the infant human form, we
often stop to remember that as the
Lord was born into the world so He is
born into each one of us as well. And as
Jehovah spoke to Abram, so the Lord,
through the Word, speaks to each of
us, calling us to put aside our human
weaknesses, our tendencies toward evil
– to shun selfishness, anger, hatred,
revenge and all the other destructive
states that so often dominate our
minds. We too have to leave behind the
things that block our spiritual growth
and development – things that hold us
back.
There are a great many of these
things in our lives holding us back.
Perhaps the primary difference between us and the Lord is that He realized
this as an infant, while with us it takes years for a fully developed adult mind to
realize it. The teachings for the New Church tell us that evils cannot be removed
unless they appear. This doesn’t mean that we have to commit the evils, but we
need to explore and examine ourselves to see what our inclinations are.
We are challenged to ask ourselves what we would do if we were not afraid
of the consequences of our actions. What would we do if we weren’t afraid
of the law, or of our neighbors, or for our reputations or jobs? By searching
ourselves in that way, it becomes possible to see our inclinations toward evils,
and begin the process of putting them out of our lives.
So Christmas brings with it both joy and challenge: joy that the Lord is
born into the world and into us, and the challenge we face as a result. It is on
the subject of facing our spiritual challenge that I want to turn to the other
festival we celebrate: the beginning of a New Year. The New Year brings with it
the promise of a new state, a commitment to change aspects of our lives so life
may become more fulfilling, with hope for a brighter future.
It is as the New Year breaks that the challenges of our spiritual life have to be
faced and overcome. The story of the Lord’s battle to overcome the tendencies
As Jehovah spoke to
Abram, so the Lord,
through the Word,
speaks to each of us,
calling us to put aside
our human weaknesses,
our tendencies
toward evil – to shun
selfishness, anger,
hatred, revenge and all
the other destructive
states that so often
dominate our minds.
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