The Beatitudes

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Does winning the lottery make life better?
Turns out, it does.

Most people believe that lottery wins are destructive:
* Media reports of ruined lottery winners - negativity sells more newspapers.
* An invented statistic that 70% of winners go bankrupt.
* Envy: cushions the blow for the rest of us, who haven’t won the lottery.

“Blessed” Μακάριοι makarios: happy, blessed, to be envied.
Often we say, “I'm blessed” when really we mean:
* I am happy [in this moment]
* I’ve been lucky, or fortunate
* I am privileged, prosperous
These are descriptive of external circumstances. They’re OK, but really it’s a state of being, not a state of emotion or natural prosperity.

Reframing what we mean by “blessing” - It’s easy to see external circumstances as “blessing”, but what about the path that leads there: is that a “blessing”, too?

Hard decisions, easy life
Difficulties, the path to blessings, are blessings in themselves, because of where they lead, without which we cannot be blessed.
Why? Because we’re stubborn creatures, unwilling to do the work, we want it laid out on a platter.
Notice the guy at the bottom - is there any reason why he WON’T reach the top? No, it's just hard work.

The third essential of the love of God, … is to render others blessed from Himself … (Heavenly Secrets, 2434)
The Lord seeks to bless us! To make our life enviable! When we think of “blessing”, we often imagine the end result, but forget the path that leads there.

"In the Word, in the external sense, 'blessing' means being enriched with all earthly and bodily good. … But in the internal sense 'blessing' means being enriched with all spiritual and celestial good, a blessing which neither does nor can possibly exist unless it comes from the Lord. …" (Heavenly Secrets, 981)

Why doesn’t the Lord “bless” us externally?
The real blessing is so much more than we imagine. There are intangible benefits to be found on the path:
“For some people, work provides a sense of purpose and identity. Quitting your job could lead to feelings of isolation, boredom, and depression.” https://moneymarshmallow.com/why-do-lottery-winners-go-broke/

“... the Lord provides the good, who accept His mercy during their time in the world, with such things as contribute to the happiness of their eternal life. He confers wealth and important positions on those to whom they can do no harm, and withholds wealth and important positions from those to whom they can do harm. To the latter nevertheless, during their time in the world, He imparts the ability to be glad with a few things instead of important positions and wealth, and to be more content than those who have wealth and important positions.” (Heavenly Secrets, 8717, section 3)

Recorded on Sunday 4 February 2024

Reframing Blessings

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3)

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What's the problem with being poor?
It is a life threatening condition. It’s the uncertainty, the insecurity of it - not knowing where your next meal is coming, nor where you’re going to sleep tonight, not being able to look after your own needs and the needs of your dependents. Relying upon someone or something else outside of our control.

And the shame - acknowledging one’s helplessness - to be looked down upon, pitied.

We see all this in the Greek word …

Πτωχοὶ ptóchos: (of one who crouches and cowers, hence) beggarly, poor

Naturally, this is a terrible thing.

Spiritually, it’s essential.

So many important principles fall into place when we accept this state:
* Our ability to forgive hangs on our need for forgiveness
* Letting go of Judgement
* Mercy, and especially,
* Recognising that we can never MERIT (deserve) heaven. 

The Lord is the ALL IN ALL of heaven. From Heaven and Hell:
"THE DIVINE OF THE LORD MAKES HEAVEN
7. … it is the Divine proceeding from the Lord which inflows with the angels and is received by them, that makes heaven in general and in part. …
8. [A person] wills and does nothing good from himself; and he thinks and believes nothing of truth from himself; but from the Divine, thus from the Lord …
9. … there is but one fountain of life and that [a person’s] life is a stream therefrom, which, if it did not unceasingly come into existence from its fountain, would immediately flow away. …"

Reminds me of Laodicea:
“you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:7)

This is one of the most difficult ideas for us to comprehend when we are young. Such is our belief in ourselves, as independent, self-governing beings, as “GOOD”. 

Unfortunately we live in a world which is governed around the perceptions of youth, and stands in the way of enlightenment  - and with it real joy and happiness.

We are the biggest obstacles to our own happiness. But life has a way of teaching us the folly of our beliefs ... AND THAT IS A BLESSING!

FINISHING … we read …

“… 'blessing' means the Lord's presence and grace. … the Lord is present only in charity, ... The Lord is present with everyone, but as is a person's distance from charity, so is the degree of the Lord's presence.” (Heavenly Secrets, 981)

Recorded on Sunday 4 February 2024

Poor In Spirit

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
(Matthew 5:4)

The Death of the Wife of the Biblical Prophet Ezekiel, by William Blake (c. 1785)

But we see in Ezekiel’s actions a spiritual side.
* It reflects REPENTANCE - To see the pain you cause yourself and to seek to change.

What is the benefit of spiritual mourning? “Blessing”? “Happy”?!

“For they shall be comforted” - the English doesn’t cut it!

Comforted - παρακαλέω parakaleó
To call to or for, to exhort, to encourage
“Call to one’s side”

SAME WORD IS THE ROOT OF …
John 14:15-31 - The Helper / comforter - παράκλητος paráklētos 

WHO IS CALLING? WHO IS RESPONDING? In its truest sense, it needs to be a two way street
* Would you call a lawyer then ignore his advice?
* One cannot call for the Spirit of the Lord to be present without at the same time allowing His presence, removing anything that stands in the way of His entry.
* True comfort is to remove the blocks that prevent the Lord from flowing in. 

True Christianity, paragraph 366, section 2
"God's life is present in all its fullness not only in people who are good and religious but also in people who are evil and ungodly. That life is the same in angels of heaven as it is in spirits of hell. The difference is … that evil people block the road and shut the door to prevent God from coming down into the lower areas of their mind. Good people, on the other hand, smooth the road and open the door. They invite God to enter the lower areas of their mind since he already inhabits the highest areas of it. They change the state of their will so that love and goodwill may flow in, and change the state of their intellect so that wisdom and faith may flow in - they open themselves to God.
Evil people block that inflow with various bodily cravings and spiritual garbage that they spread around to prevent access. Nevertheless, God with all his divine essence still dwells in the highest parts of evil people and gives them the ability to will what is good and understand what is true. This ability is something that all human beings have, although it would not be theirs at all if life from God were not present in their soul. Many experiences have taught me that even the evil have this ability."

Heavenly Secrets, paragraph 2041, section 2
"It is these two kinds of so-called love (of self and of the material world), along with their cravings, that block the inflow of the Lord's heavenly love. When they take control of our intermediate and outer selves and overrun us, they either reject or smother the inflow of heavenly love. They also corrupt and pollute it, because they are absolutely opposed to heavenly love. … The more they are set aside, on the other hand, the more the heavenly love that is flowing in from the Lord starts to grow visible and even to gleam in our intermediate self. To the same extent, we start to see that we are beset with evil and falsity, in fact that we harbour what is unclean and filthy, and finally that this is what our selfhood has been. People who are being reborn are the ones from whom these things are removed."

Rumi
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

Recorded on Sunday 3 March 2024

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Rev Ian Arnold on the Beatitudes
: “... no one reaches out for righteousness, for the Lord's order in their lives, unless they are dissatisfied with the way things are at present.” (https://static.swedenborg.com.au/pdf/transcripts/136TheBeatitudes4.pdf)

What is “righteousness”? Living according to the ten commandments - obeying the rules?
Dictionary meaning: “the quality of being morally right or justifiable.”

HOWEVER, you can behave yourself perfectly well, but still be dissatisfied with the outcome of your life. Is this an EMPTY PROMISE?

dikaiosuné: righteousness, justice [Gk 1343] - justice, justness, righteousness, righteousness of which God is the source or author, but practically: a divine righteousness.

What is the difference between God’s Righteousness - and human righteousness?
“The righteous in the Word mean those who have lived in accordance with Divine order, since Divine order is righteousness.” (True Christian Religion, 96)”

When I think of Divine Order, I think of three laws:
“... all the statutes commanded to the sons of Israel were laws of order in the external form, but those things which they represented and signified were laws of order in the internal form.” (Heavenly Secrets, 7995)

Just as there are natural laws - conservation of energy, momentum - there are spiritual laws.

What are those “laws of order in internal form”?
* Spiritual Attraction
“Judge not, that you be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1)
“Like are drawn spontaneously as it were to their like.” (Heaven and Hell, 44)

* Spiritual Influx 
“As in heaven, so upon the earth” (Matthew 6:10)
“... it is a law of order that exterior things should be subject to interior things, or what is the same, lower things to higher ones, and should serve them as servants” (AC 5127)

* Equilibrium
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
NATURALLY, NOT TRUE!
“... it is in accordance with the laws of order that no one should become convinced of the truth instantaneously, that is, should instantaneously be made so sure of the truth that he is left in no doubt at all about it.” (AC 7298.2)

How do these laws work out, in real life? Recent FACEBOOK conversation:
1. Why wouldn’t a “perfect” God create a “perfect” world? 
What do WE mean by a “perfect” world? A world without suffering.
What does GOD mean by a “perfect world”? Perhaps, "fit for purpose": a world which achieves what God intends for it. A world in which we can learn the meaning and practice of love.

2. The desire for freedom.
What is freedom? 
Freedom is an illusion as is free will. Free will is not free will when it comes with punishment and reward. It is coercion. Freedom implies no responsibilities no consequences and we know that is untrue.

“Few know what freedom is and what non-freedom is. Freedom seems to entail everything that is in keeping with any love and associated delight, and non-freedom to entail everything that is at variance with these. That which is in keeping with self-love and love of the world, and with the desires belonging to those loves, seems to man to be freedom; but that is the freedom of hell. That however which is in keeping with love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour, consequently with the love of what is good and true, is true freedom, being the freedom that exists in heaven.” (AC 2870)

We are blessed:
By the acknowledgement that we lack what is Divinely, spiritually, good and true.
When we recognise that our perspective has been too outwardly and naturally focussed.

Recorded on Sunday 2 June 2024

Hunger And Thirst For Righteousness

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

Begin today with the Ark of the Covenant [IMAGE: https://openclipart.org/detail/334317/ark-of-the-covenant]

What’s more important, a box or its contents?

“Good is the essential constituent of order, and all aspects of it are forms of mercy. Truth is the secondary constituent of order, .... Divine Good adjudges all people to heaven, but Divine Truth condemns them all to hell. Consequently if the Lord's mercy, which is the very nature of Good, were not eternal, all people - however many these may be - would be condemned. …” (Heavenly Secrets, paragraph 2258, section 2)

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy”
Reflects the law of spiritual attraction:
* “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” (Matthew 6:14)
* “Judge not, that you be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1)
* “Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8)

WHAT IS “MERCY”?
When we ask for mercy - we are acknowledging our faults and evils, asking someone to overlook them.
Mercy is UNDESERVED. 

“... the reason the evil are condemned to hell is not that Divine Good is separated from Divine Truth, but that man separates himself from Divine Good; for the Lord in no way sends anyone down to hell, but man sends himself down, as stated frequently already.” (Heavenly Secrets, paragraph 2258, section 2)

“... It is a person who, in rejecting good, condemns himself.  As a person has fled habitually from good during his lifetime, so in the next life he flees from it, and therefore from heaven and the Lord.” (Heavenly Secrets, paragraph 2335, section 3)

Recorded on Sunday 7 July 2024

Mercy

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (verse 10)

Links to TWO previous beatitudes:
* FIRST - Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (verse 3)
* FOURTH - Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. (verse 6)

We’ve come full circle … “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”

Is this truer than it was for the first beatitude? Does the first speak of potential … and the second of attainment?

“Righteousness” (from June)
Living in accordance with Divine Order - THE LAW OF LOVE

And - looking at the Bible -  we are to do this …
* “without fear or favour” (Leviticus 19:15)
* without being swayed by external concerns and circumstances.
* DESPITE the OPPORTUNITY and perhaps even the JUSTIFICATION of acting otherwise. (David spares Saul - repeatedly [1 Samuel 24 & 26])

“Blessed are those HAVING BEEN persecuted [put to flight] on account of righteousness” (Interlinear)
* When we live a life of LOVING righteousness, then no outside influence or challenge has any lasting effect upon us and our actions, BUT ALSO, …
* PAST TENSE - Speaks of the wisdom of experience. A state which can only be attained by means of the difficulties and challenges we have faced.
* It is only through this path of trial, temptation, spiritual combat, that we have reached this end

If we have done this, it will not have been easy.
We may well have faced opposition from others
But we will most definitely have faced opposition from within.
Change is never easy
Our habit is to justify and excuse ourselves

Persecuted, means “Put to flight”
“The situation with regard to judgement from truth is this: The Lord never judges anyone except from good, for His will is to lift all men, however many these may be, up to heaven, indeed if it were possible, up to Himself. For the Lord is mercy itself and good itself, and mercy itself and good itself cannot possibly condemn anyone. It is man who, in rejecting good, condemns himself. As a person has fled habitually from good during his lifetime, so in the next life he flees from it, and therefore from heaven and the Lord. For the Lord cannot be present except within good.” (AC 2335.3)

You WILL flee from something and toward something else, the ONLY question is WHAT?

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Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted For Righteousness

Our Mission is to promote and facilitate personal and community growth by developing lives of useful service to towards God, the Divine Creator, and others in accordance with biblical teaching as understood through the spiritual writings of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688 – 1772).
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Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted For Righteousness

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