Published 1-16-12   The Religion Network publishes every Monday

ON TODAY'S SITE:
Simon Jacobson, St. John of the Cross, Thomas R. Kelly, The Buddha, Book of Psalms
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Photo by Lisa Bowman           All rights reserved


By contemplating the paradox of light--that it is clearly real
and yet appears to have no substance or shape--we can
approach an even greater paradox: the unity of our phy-
sical universe with "universe" of G-dliness. The mysterious
qualities of light illustrate the main truth of our universe:
that an existence must be defined not only in terms of its
own being, but as a means to illuminate a higher truth.
Light becomes both a pure expression of G-dliness and the
metaphor that, through our reason and other faculties,
allows us to experience the ways of God.



Excerpted from "Toward a Meaningful Life,
The Wisdom of the Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson,"
by Simon Jacobson
Perennial Currents, 2002



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In tribulation immediately draw closer to God with confidence,
and you will receive strength, enlightenment and instruction.


St. John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Spanish Carmelite mystic and priest

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The basic response of the soul to the Light is internal
adoration and joy, thanksgiving and worship,
self-surrender and listening.

Excerpted from "A Testament of Devotion,"
by Thomas R. Kelly
HarperOne, 1941

Photo by Stephen Bowman        All rights reserved



Worshipping in the light we become new
creatures, making wholly new and astonishing
responses to the entire outer setting of life.
These responses are not reasoned out. They are,
in large measure, spontaneous reactions of felt
incompatibility between "the world's" judgments
of value and the Supreme Value we adore deep in
the Center. There is a total Instruction as well
as specific instructions from the Light within.
The dynamic illumination from the deeper level
is shed upon the judgments of the surface level,
and lo, the "former things are passed away,
behold, they are become new."

Excerpted from "A Testament of Devotion,"
by Thomas R. Kelly, American Quaker educator
HarperOne, 1941


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With awareness, faith, and hope we can restore confidence
in ourselves and others even in the face of overwhelming
adversity. When we allow G-d in, G-d tells us, "I am with
you. I will protect you wherever you go." That assurance
becomes the source of light that we see at the end of the
tunnel. No matter how daunting the challenge, whatever
the enemy or the battle, when we connect to G-d
we have the power to overcome and conquer
anything and everything.


Excerpted from "Toward a Meaningful Life,
The Wisdom of the Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson,"
by Simon Jacobson
Perennial Currents, 2002

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Go forth in every direction -
for the happiness, the harmony,
the welfare of the many.
Offer your heart, the seeds of your own understanding
like a lamp overturned and re-lit again,
illuminating the darkness.


The Buddha (563-483 BC)