Salt and Light
Bible Verse & Affirmation for November
Faith Is a Call to Prayer; Prayer Is a Call to Faith
Truth is one and eternal. Realize oneness with it in your deathless Self, within.
The following commentary is based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda.
In the Gospel of St. Matthew, Chapters 7 and 21, we read:
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. . . .
Verily I say unto you, if you have faith, and doubt not…if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Paramhansa Yogananda showed by his own example that prayer is a power, provided we believe deeply in that power. When our thoughts and feelings are strongly focused and then united in growing awareness to the Divine Presence within, they can bring even seemingly unrealistic wishes to fulfillment.
When Paramhansa Yogananda was in charge of his school in Ranchi, India, he took the boys on occasional outings to the surrounding countryside. “There was a waterfall not far away,” he told Swami Kriyananda, “where I took them sometimes. It was dangerous to cross there. But I would cry out to the boys, ‘Do you believe in God?’ ‘Yes!’ they would shout back enthusiastically. And so we always crossed in safety.
“Years later, after I’d gone to America, one of the teachers tried to do the same thing, but he lacked spiritual power. One of the boys slipped on a rock and was drowned.”
Thus, the Master explained, belief alone is not enough. It must be united to one-pointed awareness, which leads to Self-realization. The Bhagavad Gita, in the sixth Chapter, underscores the necessity for such one-pointed concentration:
Whenever the mind, fickle and restless, wanders off from its concentration, let the meditating yogi withdraw it resolutely, spurning every distraction (no matter how alluring!), and bring it back again and again under the control of the Self.
Thus, through holy Scripture, God has spoken to mankind.
Whispers From Eternity
123. O Divine Hart, I will hunt for Thee in the forest of my Soul
O Divine Hart, I ran after Thee equipped with the spears of selfish desire. Thou didst fly before me! I raced after Thee, shouting prayers loudly, but my voice drove Thee from me by the gusts of my restlessness; the noise I made only frightened Thee away! Stealthily, then, I crept up to Thee and cast the dart of my concentration. Alas! my hand unsteadily shook, and Thou didst bound away. As Thou didst so, however, Thy hooves echoed: “Without devotion thou art a poor, poor marksman!” With firm devotion then, holding fast the dart of meditation, I crept forward. Thy divine hoofbeats came stealing back — but I heard Thee whisper: “I am beyond thy mental dart — far beyond!” At last despairing, I entered the cave of celestial love. And there, at last, lo! Thou, the Divine Hart, camest willingly into my heart.
Paramhansa Yogananda
Inspiration from the Rays of One Light
And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Matthew 21:22
We will take these meaningful words into our meditation together for deep reflection and contemplation. But firstly, we will listen to the beautiful Psalm of David, sung by Mary Kretzmann.
Psalm of David
Listen to the Psalm of David
Reflect, Meditate and Listen to Instrumental Music
Reflection from the Rays of the One Light
Peace Sangha,
This week, I was moved by the words of Matthew 21:22
“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” from the Rays of the One Light.
These words inspired me to create a poem called “Having Faith in What I Cannot See”.
Having Faith in What I Cannot See
With a trusting heart
I kneel to Thee
Having faith in what I cannot see
Each silent prayer
I place with faith and love in Thee
When doubts arise
I trust that your faith remains
Through every joy
Through every pain
Knowing that my every prayer isn’t heard in vain
Thy love and wisdom guide it all
And in Thy time
Thy will be done
My heart and Thine forever one
Aum Peace Amen
