Becoming A Holy Vessel
/
This is one in my series of Letters fo Future Self written March 22-29, 2017 to be read on December 25, 2017. For more in the series, click here:
Some days have deep grooves in our collective mind, holding mythic dreams and apocryphal stories, dubious in fact while truthful in form. What we celebrate today, that an eternal God could be born into a mortal body, that we have a savior to cleanse our sins, that we could be among those chosen by Grace, may simply be a fantastic fantasy woven from ancient tales and soulful wishes. But it has also captured the hearts of multitudes.
Whether true or false, it harbors a deep truth rooted in the human psyche. We all wish to be touched by something divine. We all wish for a clean slate, for a life of abundance in a promised land, for a chance to escape the death sentence. And we are told, this once and future king that spoke in riddles trades us a ticket to heaven for a pass on this life, at least according to those who claim to be the mouthpiece of the one true god.
As for me…my heart is too riddled with doubts to believe a baptism will cleanse my soul or to believe wafers and wine carry the active ingredient of a savior. Yet, I also have full faith in the power of metaphor and the strength of belief we invest in our actions. I understand that these acts become a reality to those who believe wholeheartedly. And I could go there myself, if the edifice within which these acts are performed was not so littered in contradiction and hypocrisy, if the preachers of peace did not cast non-believers into a pit of sin.
I cannot accept any doctrine that claims to be the mouth of the one true God, that pitches all others as false witness and devil’s work, that requires no other can be worshipped, that claims that the only road to heaven is through their chapel doors. I cannot accept a God who requires belief in him or her in order to be saved from eternal damnation or who has earmarked one people and abandons another.
My reticence to enter the sacrament does not lessen my chances of becoming a holy vessel. For me, this is the true meaning behind the metaphor: to become a holy vessel, a repository for the divine. This is a day to celebrate the birth of the divine, to feel the spark of life that burns in each of us, to recognize that we do have a special place in the cosmos as sentient beings.
We are here to serve a greater mission. We are here to rise above our petty jealousies and trivial desires, and to nourish ourselves at the tree of life. When we become a miracle magnet and a favor attractor, we shall dance through the day with unearned grace, green lights all the way. The divine is born in every moment when our hearts are grateful and the currency of our lives declares: "in love we trust."
© Nick LeForce
AllRights Reserved
Please share your thoughts and comments below.
