spiritual growth

The power of prayer

Thoughts about the forms of our connection with God

 

 

 

1. Lives in which prayer does not “fit in”. Here I describe the monologue of two people. One of them is extremely poor, the other is extremely rich. The end of the two monologues are the same: I have my own problems. Leave me alone with worlds I do not even know anything about. This world has already overwhelmed me. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

 

2. Prayers to ourselves. A prayer for a lot of people is a... a.) monologue; b.) relief; c.) complaint; d.) solution; e.) obligation, role; f.) salvation. „Even a badly told prayer is much better than a prayer not told.” (Saint Teresa of Ávila) (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

3. The thousand faces of the genuine prayer: The blissful paths leading us to God. A real prayer searches for the Giver, not the gift. The genuine prayer is Silence listening to the totality of God living within us. A real prayer is not about us. It asks for and awaits the love, truth and will of God to the center of our hearts. In a real prayer we make ourselves silent in order to let God fill us. A real prayer does not decrease but increases our freedom explosively. Only in full knowledge of our pitifulness and indignity we can accept the mercy that delivers us from our pitifulness and indignity. A real prayer has a thousand faces. A real prayer – is our lives themselves as a whole. A real prayer does not live in time. A real prayer opens the gate of Paradise again and places the re-creating hands of God into our lives. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

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What is the ultimate rebirth and how can we help others' rebirth?

Thoughts about conversion

1. Our self-made paths to rebirth. Psychology has diagnosed a number of life phases that can be characterized by fast transformations. They all offer occasions of rebirth. However, we should note that there is no inexhaustible energy behind these honorable efforts. So our rebirth (either self-made or helped by others) remains hopelessly bound to Earth. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

2. The touch of Totality as the start of ultimate rebirth. Thoughts about conversion. The Totality of rebirth requires the touch of God, the acceptance and experience of love of Jesus that transforms our whole lives. This is that inexhaustible energy that provides strength for everything. Conversion is the maximum satisfaction of the most comprehensive sense of mankind's loss and deprivation. Conversion is experiencing the infinity, permanency and faithful love of God. The essence of conversion is not a unique experience but a process of immersing in humility and emptying our own egos, in which man becomes the property of God. Many conversions remain only virtual. Gospels show beautiful examples what are the essential characteristics of conversion and how many different ways it may happen. The protagonist of conversion is God (and not the converted person). That is why conversion is not a matter of will. Conversion is by far not a "free ticket" to eternal life.  That is why the word "daily" in the daily conversion of Martin Luther becomes extremely important. There is no justification without conversion. At the same time conversion is not the "result", not the "end" of mercy providing justification, but the path itself going there. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

3. How can we help others' rebirth? The reborn man is charged with new and new energy continuously by his strengthening contact with God. He must pass this energy to other people. The preacher has to see people in the same way as God does: from inside. A man spreading the Gospel helps a love-bridge be built between Jesus and the other person. So he is never allowed to build a wall between himself and the other person but he shares the inexhaustible love of Totality with others. He does not speak "from inside" to outside but with enormous humility he recognizes as the image of Christ becomes visible in the other person, and he makes the other person to notice this in himself.

 

„watching it from the viewpoint of resurrection we may understand
that placing the body into the grave, it is not a cold depth of a hole for us any more,
but the image of Christ’s opened side,
a meeting of our fragile humanity with the endless love.
Because the grave has become the gate of Paradise since Christ was lying there.”

(Peregrin Kálmán OFM)

 

(If you would like to read more about this, read my essay here on Reformation Day, October 31st, All Saint's Day, November 1st and All Souls' Day, November 2nd.)

 

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Our love networks

How can we become peace-sources?

1. Disenergizing people are avoided. People spreading negative emotions are avoided by all others. Those leaders are inefficient who spread negative feelings around themselves. If I exude positive emotions, empathy and satisfaction around myself then I become the central point of my social network. On the contrary, if I spread negative feelings, I get to the very periphery of the social network. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

2. Our love networks. How can we create love around ourselves? We are very lucky. Love can be spread. We are very unlucky. Hate can be spread, too. Anger spreads five times faster (and makes five times more damage) than joy. Let us be open to the love poured upon us even if it does not come where we wanted to get it from. If we forward love to others persistently, then after a while we notice that we are reached by love, too. Let me encourage the Reader to write a kindness journal for a few days. If the ratio between our good and bad deeds is much worse than FIVE to one, then we should think about how we could change this in the future. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

3. How can we become peace-sources? Accepting and forwarding love and thus the enrichment of the love network around us is realized in small steps. As this feeling becomes permanent in our lives, it is not love any more we experience, but peace and serenity. The one who has found the source of peace becomes peace-source himself in his surroundings, too. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

 

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What are the best qualities of a good leader?

Thoughts about a life spent to serve others in love

1. The trap of a self-centered life. It is a great experience of development when a child realizes that he is able to live his life alone. From one will comes the next, and from the next will comes another. In the big rush to grow this willpower bigger and bigger this giant will never thinks about what is the broader aim of what it actually wants. The time will come when man gets tired. He still wants something but he is not able to fulfill all his wills any more. Midlife-crisis sets in. Our poor fellow realizes that he has become alone in the big rush. He has reached his limits: he has burnt himself out. A lot of people finish their lives here. Old age comes but it is only a prolonged agony of a man falling apart. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

2. What are the best qualities of a good leader? The strength of service. It is possible to break out from the circles of the "self-made man" that closes himself inside himself, and after reaching our full potential we can discover the world’s "deep dimension" again. The key to the discovery of the world is: the strength of service. God wants to use us all for awaken the good in others. The good can spread only by the power of example. The only example that really reaches and affects the other person is the one that we serve this other person unselfishly with. A good leader listens and serves. A good leader deliberates, and tries to shepherd the community assigned to him towards the golden mean always supporting what the majority of the community do NOT want, moreover, what is not even needed just then. A good leader is decisive, responsible, peaceful, humble and knows when to resign. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

3. How can we change the life of our environment to happiness? Fulfillment in a life spent to serve others in love. What is service? Service is passing the love to others, which was given to us by God. If we became open to accept the love of God, it is impossible to keep it in ourselves. This is how to serve others in love becomes a way of living. This is how we become love-sources in the life of all people around us. Thus, a good leader is the love-source of his environment. This is THE best quality of a good leader. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

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What is the secret of a happy life?

Thoughts about the strength of gratitude

1. Traps of our self-torturing dissatisfactions. Humans are pleasure and novelty seeking animals, therefore all human pleasures lose their novelty very soon. Due to this man soon becomes dissatisfied and seeks for more pleasures. Our lives become even worse when the "amount of pleasure-possession" becomes our measure to value our own ego. Our egos always compare everything with others. Others have more. We will only have more if we take it away from others. This avalanche does not stop, it can only bury us. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

 

2. The strength of gratitude. The ability of gratitude is the counterpoint of dissatisfaction which results in peace, serenity and joy. Those who live their life open to thankfulness and gratitude, find benefits in all events happening to them. Those who are capable of gratitude open instead of closing themselves into their own egos. Gratitude results in gratitude: a source of goodness opens goodness around itself. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

 

3. The fulfilling joy of the circles of gratitude – love service -- communion of love. The ability of gratitude transforms our whole life. Gratitude links us into a love stream that creates a communion of love. We can choose: either we follow the circles of gratitude – love service – communion of love or the circles of demand – hate/fight – and isolation in our own egos. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

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What is the mechanism of effective learning in life?

Thoughts about the strength of spiritual retreats

1. Alternating good and bad periods are needed for learning in nature. During the past centuries mankind increasingly identified the idea of good with wealth. However, escaping from the bad is a wrong strategy because hardships coming from time to time are necessary to slow down, to stop, and to think about that from all that we have collected what are the few ones worth taking forward. It is important from time to time to deprive ourselves from the comfort and from the unbelievable information input in which we have lived before and go to "meditate in the wild". Spiritual retreats are very good forms of this. It is crucial to help our fellow human beings, who live their lives continuously in poor and bad times letting them to overcome this situation. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

2. Alternating good and bad periods are also important in the development of our souls. In nature learning may only proceed by the alterations of resource-rich and resource-poor periods. Alternating good and bad periods play a very important role in soul development, too. Alterations of good and bad are required that a nation, a church, an anything, which is valuable in the long term, may be formed. Thus the consecutive emotional "ups" and "downs" of sermons and spiritual retreats reflect exactly the same Knowledge which appears in the whole nature, and which is the most efficient way to obtain new experiences. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 


3. What is the result of the learning process? There is an increase in the complexity, response-range and information content of the system, which learns. In other words: those who may learn from the ups and downs of life become wiser. Still in other words: the soul, which successfully passed some spiritual exercises gets closer to God. God is the Totality of knowledge. If we think about this, we may recognize that the three processes described here, are, in essence, exactly the same. Nature seeks after and heads to the place from where it was born: God’s Totality. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

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About the nature of Glory

Contemplation about the Trinity – concluding part

 

1. Our human concept of glory. For us glory is the measure of our own value. A recognition given by others giving us integrity, stability, happiness and harmony. In its earthy meaning, glory is such a power for which you do not have to fight again and again. Our longing desire for glory may accompany us as an insatiable and burning feeling through a whole unsatisfied, and (according to our measures) inglorious life.  (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

2. The real nature of Glory. The Glory of God is the exact opposite of glory considered in its earthy meaning: it is the light and love flowing out of Him to those who become part of the community of God. With His Glory, God does not receive but gives. However, God does not overspread us with His Glory according to our merits but because it is the very nature of His existence. By pouring out His Glory on us, God gives US integrity, stability, happiness and harmony if we are open to a connection with Him. The human soul, accepting the Glory of God does not only absorb it (as the devil does) but becomes alive and begins to reflect the Glory of God through its entire life. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

3. The Glory of the Trinity. Glory radiates from God. However, the flow of Glory and its power (that changes those human souls, which are open to become connected with God and Christ) are very important characteristics of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit may be the part of the Trinity that is the least possible to be characterized using human words. On one hand, the drift of the Holy Spirit may be so obvious and overwhelming that man getting quite far away of his previous self may take plenty of actions one after the other he could never ever imagine before. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit works in us in the silence of every day, too. Thus the Holy Spirit is the "direct representation" of the Glory of God for the souls that have not become united with Totality yet, whom it resurrects in Christ and enables to live a life reflecting the Glory of God. (If you would like to read more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

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About the nature of power

Contemplation about the Trinity – part two

 

1. Our human concept about power. The human interpretation of power means the control of other people, which guarantees my own freedom. Who has power owns such a situation or resources that have created and legitimate his power. Western civilization’s notion of power is actionist thinking in the short term. This approach fails when wants to control systems beyond a certain level of complexity like the whole Earth. (Those who want to read more about this please read my essay here.)

 

2. The true nature of power. God’s omnipotence makes the definition of any situations or sources that „would legitimate” his power useless. God’s freedom does not depend on our acts. Totality, which exists out of time cannot be “actionist”, and short term thinking is excluded from his actions. The essence of God’s power is the creation and showing of the Direction guiding the world to good in the infinitely large space of God. Therefore God’s power is not about God (God’s freedom, God’s safety, or about anything else characterizing God). God’s power is one of His greatest gifts for the world in order to maintain the order of the universe. Thus the essence of God’s power is Mercy, the Providence enabling our life and making it good. (Those who want to read more about this please read my essay here.)

 

3. The power of the Trinity. Power is the indivisible characteristic of the Trinity’s Totality. At the same time, the direction guiding the world to good is the Path, the Truth and the Life that have been embodied by Jesus on Earth for the Father’s will and glory, and whose power over us was assigned to Jesus by the Father. The space of Jesus overlaps in many ways with that of the Father: it is huge, total, overwhelming and peaceful. At the same time the space of Jesus is personal, knowing man’s life, joy and suffers by experience, understanding us deeply by seeing us, and radiating his love personally over us. The space of Jesus can also be quite concrete, immensely explicit, very hard and unequivocal even for the human mind when it shows us the Direction, the Truth, and the only right Path. This concrete and very specific appearance of Jesus’ space „interprets” for man the will/power of the Father and his totality, peace and glory. The power of Jesus is expressed for the ones knowing him by the irresistible strength of the necessity to follow him. (Those who want to read more about this please read my essay here.)

 

 

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How does the space of our lives look like – in its Totality?

Contemplation about the Trinity – part one

 

 

 

1. Why do not we see the Totality of the space of our life? As mankind gained more and more knowledge since consuming the “first apple”, we understand the details of the world (the space of our lives) better and better. However by getting a more precise understanding of the details we hid ourselves into these details more and more and, in parallel, we have lost our feeling of Totality. Totality, i.e. not only the existing world but the Totality of all the possibly existing worlds, the whole possibility-space, the Totality of the space of our lives cannot be understood remaining in our creature-status, because our cognitive capacity is limited. (If you want to know more about this, please read my post here.)

 

2. How does the Totality of the space of our lives look like? In my last three essays before the summer holiday in July-August sum up a few points about the nature of Totality, God, i.e. Trinity as the trinity of space/kingdom, power/truth and glory/love. At first I  summarize a few (fragmentary) thoughts about God’s infinitely large space. The infinitely large space of God is not only including the entire Creation and Universe but it also opens a gate to feel Totality as a gift of God’s look on us, as well as opening Himself in Christ and the Holy Spirit for us. (If you want to know more about the character of God’s infinitely large space, please read my post here.)

 

3. How can we experience the Totality of the space of our lives? As much as we get rid of our creature’s existence, we will be capable of adopting the Creator. However, by getting rid of our “creature existence” we will not become empty! Not only because we get to know Totality, meaning such an enormously joyful experience that we have never had before, but because at the same time we are filled with the energy and love that will pass this experience to others, too. (If you want to know more about this joyful process, please read my post here.)

 

 

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About the nature of the Devil

How can we get separated from the Evil?

 

1. The nature of the Devil. What are the characteristic features of the Devil? In what respect is the Devil strong – and weak? When are we especially vulnerable to the temptations of the Devil? (If you want to know more about the answers to these questions, please read the post here.)

 

2. How is our separation from the Evil related to our Earthly desires? (If you want to know more about this, read the post here.)

 

3. Why is it a dead-end street if we only fight against our own bad habits? How is our separation from the Evil related to our unification with Totality? (If you want to know more about the answers to these questions, read the post here.)

 

 

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