Thursday, January 05, 2006
THE SPIRITUAL AND THE MATERIAL WORLD
Word of God
THE SPIRITUAL AND THE MATERIAL WORLD
The material world and the spiritual realm remain in mutual opposition, and therefore claims of an opposite nature are put upon humans. Man can never do justice to both claims. He must cope without restriction the demands of one of these worlds. The spiritual realm can only distribute -- which is quite understandable -- only spiritual goods, and this under conditions which contradict the longing of the "world". Meanwhile, the world offers earthly treasures to man that equal his longing. The longing of the world is in opposition to the demands of the spiritual realm insofar as it puts corporal enjoyment and corporal comfort in the foreground. These enjoyments and comforts cause difficulties to the soul, for they make it a problem for the soul to strive after the spiritual realm.
Because the claims of the spiritual kingdom must be accomplished by the soul, it has to dispose the body to the same longing, which means the abandonment of earthly wishes.
And so two worlds face each other, and man has to decide in which of them he wants to live. And, always, one of these worlds will demand the submission of the other. Either the body or the soul has to speak, i.e. the soul has to decide what is more important for itself ... its own formation or comfort of the body during life on earth as man. The spiritual realm has many different kinds of wonderful gifts for the soul, but their true value cannot be fully understood by man. However, they are eternal and present a wealth to the soul that can be used by it in the spiritual kingdom for its own happiness.
Indeed, the world also offers the body treasures, but they are perishable and cannot be taken over into the spiritual realm. They disintegrate as does the body when the soul moves from the earthly sphere into the spiritual realm. And as the soul on earth can receive only goods from one kingdom, it will be poverty-stricken in the spiritual realm if it has rendered homage to the earthly world.
Giving up earthly goods with free will inevitably results in the possession of spiritual property -- i.e. if love acts in that first step. I love is not in that art, the longing for earthly goods pre- dominates.
Where love awakens, the soul strives unconsciously towards the spiritual realm and pays no attention to earthly goods.
Therefore, the soul of man has to decide during its life on earth, to choose the goal of its endeavor -- either the earthly world or the spiritual kingdom. And as the soul decides, so its fate will be in the spiritual realm to which it comes when the time of trial on earth is ended -- wealth or poverty, bliss or grief -- for bliss requires the overcoming of all that is earthly, therefore perishable.
AMEN
THE SPIRITUAL AND THE MATERIAL WORLD
The material world and the spiritual realm remain in mutual opposition, and therefore claims of an opposite nature are put upon humans. Man can never do justice to both claims. He must cope without restriction the demands of one of these worlds. The spiritual realm can only distribute -- which is quite understandable -- only spiritual goods, and this under conditions which contradict the longing of the "world". Meanwhile, the world offers earthly treasures to man that equal his longing. The longing of the world is in opposition to the demands of the spiritual realm insofar as it puts corporal enjoyment and corporal comfort in the foreground. These enjoyments and comforts cause difficulties to the soul, for they make it a problem for the soul to strive after the spiritual realm.
Because the claims of the spiritual kingdom must be accomplished by the soul, it has to dispose the body to the same longing, which means the abandonment of earthly wishes.
And so two worlds face each other, and man has to decide in which of them he wants to live. And, always, one of these worlds will demand the submission of the other. Either the body or the soul has to speak, i.e. the soul has to decide what is more important for itself ... its own formation or comfort of the body during life on earth as man. The spiritual realm has many different kinds of wonderful gifts for the soul, but their true value cannot be fully understood by man. However, they are eternal and present a wealth to the soul that can be used by it in the spiritual kingdom for its own happiness.
Indeed, the world also offers the body treasures, but they are perishable and cannot be taken over into the spiritual realm. They disintegrate as does the body when the soul moves from the earthly sphere into the spiritual realm. And as the soul on earth can receive only goods from one kingdom, it will be poverty-stricken in the spiritual realm if it has rendered homage to the earthly world.
Giving up earthly goods with free will inevitably results in the possession of spiritual property -- i.e. if love acts in that first step. I love is not in that art, the longing for earthly goods pre- dominates.
Where love awakens, the soul strives unconsciously towards the spiritual realm and pays no attention to earthly goods.
Therefore, the soul of man has to decide during its life on earth, to choose the goal of its endeavor -- either the earthly world or the spiritual kingdom. And as the soul decides, so its fate will be in the spiritual realm to which it comes when the time of trial on earth is ended -- wealth or poverty, bliss or grief -- for bliss requires the overcoming of all that is earthly, therefore perishable.
AMEN
