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Love and Acceptance is the Message of All Religions
- Bruce Davis
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In today’s episode of “Healing from Within” your host Sheryl Glick author of The Living Spirit: Answers for Healing and Infinite Love welcomes Bruce Davis author of The Love Letters which is the second book to have St. Frances of Assisi at its heart. As one of the world’s leading secular authorities on the inner life of the revered saint, Davis has resided in Assisi for many years and is well suited to retrace the steps and philosophy of love service and true humanity that this great Master and his dear friend Saint Clare shared in their time. They also professed hopes for the future development of all religions to recognize the power of personal connection to Spirit and to the true values of love harmony and balance which are the building blocks of our soul’s development and refinement for an empowered human community.
Bruce Davis a spiritual psychologist and teacher of world religions who has been leading retreats worldwide since 1983 will share the beauty and grace of silence and his deep connection to silence, simplicity and heart-fullness. In the fictional world of The Love Letters, Francis and Clare hear there is a new Pope. As word travels through the small villages of Italy, it is said the new Pope is a follower of Francis. What can this mean for the powerful and out of touch Church? This Pope feels the hunger and love of the people. This Pope knows that humility is the true path to God…Can the new Pope open the doors to the Church to include and serve the poor, those in need? Can the New Pope restore God in the heart where he truly resides in everyone, Christian, Jew or those of any Faith. Today we will share our trust that that is not only possible but probable in this new age of Spirituality that will usher in an era of Self Actualization of the Soul and the evolution of all to become more human and humane.
Sheryl’s book, The Living Spirit addresses this thought in a section called The Need to Take Responsibility for our Happiness which suggests each of us has the personal power to recognize we have an energetic or spiritual essence and physical live, but it is only by knowing this and allowing for us to align to higher Universal Energies of Love and Expansion of the Soul that we can live our most fulfilling life. That is what St Frances and St Clare showed us by the example of how they lived their life and also what many religious leaders and spiritualists of today are sharing with the world… It is not in the doing or having in a materialistic sense but in Creation of our “Being” goodness, kindness and being present that we connect to each other and to the Divine. This state of living is not only achieved in a mind or religious practice but through personal expression of love and devotion to our human and spiritual development.
This is an excerpt from The Love Letters….. “Eight hundred years ago two young people left behind the expectations of their families and a comfortable material life for the unknown path to explore the world around them and their inner heart essence or divine calling to serve and love themselves and humanity. Frances and Clare were typical youths of their time..Francis a troubadour and Clare a pretty young woman…they moved outside the walls of their small town of Assisi , Italy and lived nearby in the beauty of Nature…they lived a life without borders and boundaries or the opinions or restrictions of others..they were both in love with love and saw something pure in the heart of others. They discovered what we know today is the mystic’s path..they found their lives would transcend normal desire and fear as a perfect peace and joy grew inside.. their trust in life itself and God became stronger. This God was not limited to the building, the ritual and ceremony of Church, but was found mysteriously everywhere in everything and in everyone. The quest was to have an open heart, to be available to the magnificence of the moment. God was found in the small things the little flowers, the children, in ordinary life….”
In today’s world, how would Pope Francis honor his namesake, St. Francis in embracing the philosophy and heart-based view of divine expression of simple living? Pope Francis must make this suggestion to follow what he has determined to be the most important part of any religions message, which is love. Davis writes… “People say the church of Rome is strong and powerful and this is our problem. Our Lord is naked and generous. [Jesus] offers everything to our Lord and receives God in His heart…. We follow in the same footsteps….Our Lord never said anything about building a church. He never said anything about armies defending the faith. He had no doctrine to judge others….” “Peace….yes, simple peace and more gently peace. This is the war we are waging. Against all odds, we wage peace. We must pray more for our brother the Bishop of Rome! In his humility he is waging the greatest battle of all! We are of one herd, now, and in eternity.” Pope Francis, in uniting his parishioners to best refine their own lives, live successfully and prosperously in today’s world need to remind everyone of all religions that the greatest battle of all is “to find God within” to be part of the universal consciousness and collectiveness now, in life and in eternity.
Bruce goes on to talk about how women must fit into the structure of God’s unfolding and eternal plan. St. Francis and St. Clare, who were such loving friends, dedicated to living their lives unburdened by the opinions and concerns of the physical world, came to know that equality for all was a divine right. In the book, “Clare says to her beloved Frances, ”Women deserve a life of great heart just like you Francis and the brothers. Isn’t it time for women to have their own place in the world in the church of our Lord and be heard? We are in the 12th Century, how long do women have to wait to make their own decisions? If I can lead my sisters in pursuit of this great love, don’t you think all women are capable of making decisions to find their path?” “If our new bishop of Rome is meeting with your brothers, shouldn’t he be talking to me and my sisters as well? Are not our hearts, our commitment, our lives, as true as yours?...... Our Lord spoke often with and visited women as he continues to do so now. Our Lord pointed to his mother for his disciples to follow when he was gone. It was women who first found his tomb empty. It was women who first recognized he was risen. Women and our Lord have a bond of iron and steel. Nothing, no one can take this bond apart.”
If all people were to invite the heart of St. Francis into their own lives, they would feel the sacrifice and love for all living things and the freedom to follow their own heart to serve and to enjoy all the small miracles of life-nature, beauty, children, purity, honor and feeling connected to all living things both here an beyond this world. Sheryl expresses these same heart based feelings in her book The Living Spirit where she shares stories of people who are assisted by those in Spirit - guides, religious leaders, deceased relatives, higher vibrational beings. Angels. and Universal Energy to know themselves. life and death, or just eternal life as there is no death only a transformation into New Life and to experience possibilities for creating their best life as St. Francis and St. Clare did.
People often believe a soul mate refers to romantic love. However there are many forms of love.
The Ancient Greeks had words for love such as:
- AGAPE Unconditional love or holding someone in high esteem.
- PHILIA This refers to friendship. It is a virtuous and loyal love.
- STORGE This refers to the affection that parents feel for their offspring and family And then there is
- EROS Passionate, romantic love, with sensual desire and longing Apparently this doesn’t have to be sexual in nature, or so Plato : hence the word platonic for friendships that are nonphysical
(This description is from Lorraine Flaherty’ book Healing With Past Life Therapy. Lorraine was a former guest on “Healing From Within”).
This great love found by St Francis and St Clare is available to people today and may be accessed in all of us. Before this open hearted and open minded reality can blossom, Sheryl believes we must recognize we are spiritual energetic souls having a physical life for the purpose of refining our heart and soul essence to accept and deliver greater love and compassion. In our interactions and in regard to our own developmental and spiritual growth we must be consistent in the search. Bruce believes every religious group: first. they are of the heart, and then of the mind, and all in service to the poor, lonely and the ill- love would be poured out into the streets. “Imagine all the religious being in a search for the true love instead of being comfortable in their position and home.” If the leader of all religious orders has humility, it could flow down into the world “like a gentle stream of warm love”.
Since Bruce is an expert on silence for spiritual connection and simple peace, Sheryl asks Bruce “How can someone embrace silence with our very busy lives today and what are the rewards and value of doing so?” It is in taking time away from the chores of daily life, meditating, praying, observing nature, listening to music, being part of service to the community, learning more about yourself and constantly being aware of what has been done in the name of our physical life or in the name of our spiritual life which both seek peace compassion and love that we find balance and harmony.
Sheryl believes Bruce Davis’ book, The Love Letters, is really about the steps of mystics of all religions who seek to find an inner and personal connection to God without the limiting structures of manmade religious systems but with the emphasis on love of self brotherhood and compassion for everyone, not just the members of your own clan, group or family but a worldwide love of humanity. In The Living Spirit Sheryl shows how it is possible to find the love of Spirit and the personal values and courage to stand in your own true connection to eternal life and the wisdom of the Universe by understanding the Laws of Energy. Sheryl also believes that all the messengers of God, Jesus, St. Frances, St. Claire and Moses, would stand together and share that truth and perhaps as the World Evolves we will finally see that the message has always been about Inclusion and not Separation and true peace within comes from that realization of the Oneness and Unity of all of Life From the Creative Expansive Energy of God.
The inner steps of mystics of all religions include, “Silence which carves out a home in the stillness of their heart. Here is peace. Prayer is the simplicity of our own heart. Teach them that peace is a practice. As peace becomes more important, our self importance becomes less. And a peaceful heart comes from finding so much God inside that there is no room for anything but peace.”
Bruce believes there an inner mystic in everyone. He has this quite beautifully; “We must concentrate, we need to be resolute and unwavering. There can be so many distractions, the mind can wander easily in some superficial direction of its own. We must sit and be and let the Lord dress us in His beauty.”
“Each of us has to search deep inside for humility to be recognized and valued. Love and peace is not for the weak of heart. We must be mighty and tender, magnificent and vulnerable. Our hands must be empty for the angels to lead us into their secret garden. The mystery of the secret garden calls upon all of our heart to give so much. It is a special calling to give up so much and an even more special calling to receive so much.”
“The secret garden where God sits grows in the breast of all who have a humbled heart….what does humble mean? Open minded- paying attention, willing to let go of the fears of the world in order to attain the peace and love of spirit.
Bruce belies Pope Francis can succeed and he offers one way that the new pope can extend the love and graciousness of God and the church to all the people. He writes; “I hope our new bishop of Rome when he awakens to the riches of our church empties the coffers. I hope he gives until the coffers are empty of riches and full of the real riches- the gratitude of the people.” “We are here to touch and heal one another. Every church should be home with free fruit and vegetables for the hungry.” “[Our new bishop] can offer the poor of Rome the gifts that matter.” Sheryl believes these gifts are gifts of the soul.
In today’s episode, Bruce and Sheryl have shared the story of ancient wisdom seekers such as St. Frances and St. Clare- friends and compassionate souls looking to shine the love and divine energy of Heaven into the way they shared their hopes and life in the service of becoming more fulfilled human and divine souls…they looked past the extreme conditions of the physical world to know their heart based sense of connection to eternal energy or the Divine and to hold their truth within courageous hearts. Sheryl sees them not so much as religious figures, but human beings who were able to see the greater view of interconnecting to a higher plan for self-actualization…a spiritual way to learn more about themselves life, God and Eternity. The next step Sheryl believes is beyond any ancient religious system which only offers man made views of how to conquer fears in order to deal with the issues of a physical world and in discovering the personal connection in the silent way of the heart and soul to know God on an intimate level.
