Superior Index

Print Files: A4 Size.

Book in Text Format (txt).

Chapter 52
Beloved El Morya - December 28, 1962

     Soon the dawn of a New Year will fill the skies of men with Hope. Shall this Hope, like that of countless other years before it, be one of limited and slow-moving accomplishment insofar as spiritual progress is concerned? Or shall this year be one of destiny when the energies released from on High are put to mighty use for the accomplishment of the Eternal Purpose manifesting through the waiting and watching hearts of men?

     I AM encouraged at the renewed interest in Divine Law. I AM hopeful that the welding process begun at great costs at Inner Levels shall become a mighty fusion of Holy Purpose wherein the distinguishing marks of separation are lost in the sea of God's Purposes. Thus by heeding the heart calls of men and the directives of Heaven, the SOLACE required for the hour at hand shall be magnified, world without end, into a mountain of LOVING SERVICE, impartially rayed out by those who are able and willing to respond to the Call of Life.

     May I assure the doubters that We are not idle. May I laud the faithful who knew this anyway, and may I say to all, "Be of good cheer!" We might as well be jolly, Dear Hearts: for if We are sincere in Our gaiety it shall strike a blow for the Lord. "The devil ... the proude spirite ... cannot endure to be mocked,"¹ and the jollity of men's hearts making merry because of the Hope of Eternal Life is a mockery for a Purpose. Laugh at the unfortunate troubles of the past! This is one way to vanquish them, and has proven helpful to many a pilgrim in the past.

     We must cheat the devil of his due, for the purposes of karma are healing rather than determinate to destroy men. Response to the noble ministerings of the Divine Heart is all that Life requires, and even this need is met that men may be blessed with the riches of their Divine Inheritance. Thus as a lawyer bearing news of a permanent legacy, so comes the karmic scales to remind men and remand men to the proper regard for their Divine Estate, lest in forgetting they fall behind in the race and awaken as Rip van Winkle, without friend or family, in their evolutionary scale of progress. Only the bold continue to serve the ages of Earth; the average chela moves on to Freedom!

     Many have the blessing of Divine Understanding. Some feel that if they cannot at the first reading of a PEARL ferret out all the wisdom offered therein, it is not worth the effort. Even digging out the meat from a nutshell requires some diligence, and by repeated effort the sweetness is extracted. Our Words are not always understood at first, for while Our intent is the simplicity of pure Love and Our Words are plain, many of the ideas require the background of a lawful approach to the Boundaries of Heaven, and that exceeding the mere speculations of metaphysical longings or exposure.

     Let each one be diligent, therefore, to utilize Our effort. Let the masses dash off like a hare. I AM certain that the plodding determination of the faithful, constant tortoise shall bring you across the finish line next year with the accomplishment of steadfast effort. We seek no spectacular effort but welcome either it or a sustained pace, as your heart shall choose. You have Free Will. Our desire is to assist all in every way We can.

     If there seem to be many facets to Our Love, bear in mind that the evolutions in this Universe are not so simple as may at first have appeared to your awakening eyes. We find a wonderful Divine intricacy here that continues to challenge Our expanding Spirit. We are willing to serve as long as necessary, but trust you will understand that new dimensions of Cosmic Wonder stretch before Our waiting Beings, and We long to explore the vistas of the Promised Land. The sooner the Earth is Free, the sooner the pledged Lights can be released to go onward and upward.

     Blessed Ones, like the Rock of Gibraltar, Saint Germain, The Darjeeling Council, and Myself, pledge anew Our Energies and Assistance to each of you throughout the coming year. It is to God's Glory and the unfoldment of your Soul, to the blessing of Earth's Evolutions and the Dawn of Divine Reason and Enlightenment that We are dedicated. ONWARD, WE CRY EXCELSIOR!

     - QUE DIEU VOUS REGARDE,

Bibliography

[1]

Volume 5, Number 13, footnote 4. The origin of the Peace Prayer, attributed through the centuries to Saint Francis, is uncertain as it is not among Francis' authenticated writings. According to the research of Fr. James Meyer, O.F.M., the prayer could have come from one of the "Sayings of Brother Giles" in the Fioretti (The Little Flowers of Saint Francis): "Blessed is he who loves and does not therefore desire to be loved. Blessed is he who fears and does not therefore desire to be feared. Blessed is he who serves and does not therefore desire to be served ..." But it is also possible, Fr. Meyer explains, that Giles drew his inspiration from Francis.

The earliest printed version of the Peace Prayer appeared in a book published in 1917 in France, which attributed its inspiration to the Testament of William the Conqueror. A copy of the prayer was presented to Pope Benedict (1914-1922), who was delighted to have it and requested it to be circulated widely. When it was distributed in Europe during World War I, it was printed on the back of a holy picture of Saint Francis. Francis Cardinal Spellman of New York is credited with popularizing the prayer during World War II by distributing it for the first time in English. Following is the entire prayer translated from the French:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: / Where there is hatred, let me sow love; / Where there is discord, harmony; / Where there is injury, pardon; / Where there is error, truth; / Where there is doubt, faith; / Where there is despair, hope; / Where there is darkness, light; / Where there is sadness, joy; / O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek / To be consoled, as to console; / To be understood, as to understand; / To be loved, as to love: / For it is in giving that we receive; / It is in forgetting self that we find ourselves; / It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; /And it is in dying that we are born to eternal Life. (See Fr. Marion A. Habig, "Origin of the Peace Prayer," Franciscan Herald, May 1974, pp. 151-53.)

[2]

Volume 5, Number 13, footnote 7. To cleanse the lepers. Matt. 10:8; 11:5; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 17:12-19.

There is a story told in the Fioretti of a leper who was being cared for by the brothers in Saint Francis' order. The leper was so blasphemous and abusive in his speech that none could bear to come near him. When Francis visited him, the leper complained that the brothers had not looked after him as they should, whereupon Francis offered to care for him himself.

The leper asked him what he could do that the others could not. Francis promised that he would do all he wished. The leper said, "I want you to wash me all over because the odor is such that I cannot stand it." Francis then prepared water with many sweet-scented herbs, undressed him and began to wash him with his hands. Miraculously, wherever Francis touched, the leprosy disappeared and the flesh was healed.

As the leper's body was healed, his soul experienced conversion also. Overcome with remorse for his sins, he began to weep bitterly, accusing himself for all the pain he had caused others. After fifteen days of deep penance, he fell ill and passed on. His soul, brighter than the sun, appeared to Saint Francis while he was praying in a forest. Pouring out gratitude and blessings, he announced to Francis that that day he was going to Paradise.

[3]

Volume 5, Number 49, footnote 2. Saint Francis and the Christ Child. In 1223 Brother Francis prepared a special Christmas celebration. His heart's desire was to commemorate the birth of Christ in a way which would vividly portray the suffering and discomfort the Saviour had borne. He asked his devout friend Messer John Vellita to set up a real manger filled with hay in a grotto on a steep wooded hill in Greccio. An ox and ass were also brought to the spot, just as at Bethlehem.

At midnight on Christmas Eve, the brothers and neighboring people came bearing candles and lighted torches that brilliantly illumined the night. Together they celebrated a solemn Mass over the crèche; and Francis, with a countenance of supreme compassion and unspeakable joy, delivered a moving sermon on the "Bethlehem Babe." For a moment, his friend John saw a beautiful infant lying in the manger, appearing almost lifeless. Then he saw Francis step forward and lift the Child, who opened his eyes as if waking from a deep sleep and smiled. The vision signified that although Christ had been asleep and forgotten in the hearts of many, he was being brought to life again through the devotion of his servant Francis.

See Thomas of Celano, The First Life of St. Francis, and St. Bonaventure, Major Life of St. Francis, in Marion A. Habig, ed., St. Francis of Assisi, Writings and Early Biographies: English Omnibus of the Sources for the Life of St. Francis, 3rd ed. (Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1973), pp. 299-302, 710-11; Omer Englebert, Saint Francis of Assisi: A Biography, 2nd ed., trans. Eve Marie Cooper (Ann Arbor, Mich.: Servant Books, 1979), pp. 232-34; Johannes Jörgensen, Saint Francis of Assisi, trans. T. O'Conor Sloane (1912; reprint, Garden City, N.Y.: Image Books, 1955), pp. 216-17; and Felix Timmermans, The Perfect Joy of St. Francis, trans. Raphael Brown (1952; reprint, Garden City, N.Y.: Image Books, 1955), pp. 228-31.

Footnotes: