Mother Rebecca Stramoski
January 28, 2015
Vs 42-44: If we wish
to reach eternal life, even as we avoid the torments of hell, then – while
there is still time, while we are in this body and have time to accomplish all
these things by the light of life – we must run and do now what will profit us
forever.
Earlier we spoke about finding heaven on earth, but it
appears we can also find hell too! John
Milton in Paradise Lost said, “The mind is its own place, and in itself can
make a heaven out of hell or a hell out of heaven.” Our thoughts are the main builders of the
environment we live in. Imagine if we
lived in a house with a lot of small children who were constantly running
around, out of control, and unable to be disciplined. (In other words, not like little Aimee!) That house would be an unhappy and stressful
place to live…maybe even unbearable over the long haul. The same can be said of our minds. If our inner thoughts are allowed to run
around uncontrolled, w/o discipline, it would be a hell and a torment. This is why nepsis is held as an essential
practice for anyone on the spiritual path or who desires virtue. Our dominant
thoughts will be expressed in our life, actions, and faces. If my thoughts are on heavenly or godly
things, I will be joyful and gracious, positive and hopeful. Everything in life will seem a gift! If my thoughts are often critical and
judging, I will be harsh and arrogant in my behavior and negative in my
outlook. There is a slogan: “Change your thoughts and you change your
world”. (Norman Vincent Peale) Milton reminds us that nepsis, or guarding
the mind, is the key builder that determines the kind of house we live in.
Kenneth Leong in his book, The Zen Teaching of Jesus,
defined hell as “an outcome of unawareness”.
In the parable of the ten wise and foolish virgins, Leong says the oil
is a common symbol for mindfulness. Many
people miss the opportunity for enlightenment, or seeing Jesus’ presence,
because they are not alert. They are
sleepy. This is why we see St Benedict
urgently reminding us again to RUN and do NOW what will profit us forever. How often we have seen in the Prologue
Benedict tell us WAKE UP! Leong goes on
to say, those who failed to share in “the great wedding banquet” were ordinary
people who simply were too busy with their life - not mindful of the real
invitation at hand. He says hell is not
a consequence of a crime - as the parable of the ten virgins show. The only “sin” was that the foolish ones lacked
attention to details, forgetting to bring oil.
He cautions us, “How tragic it is to miss out on the joy of heaven here
and now simply because of absent-mindedness or a misplaced sense of
priorities.” So Leong says mindfulness,
or guarding the heart, is a key builder that determines what we will create.
Ronald Rolheiser asks a great question: How do we know if
we are tasting hell or experiencing birth pangs? He answers it with further questions for our
own examin: Do our frustrations unleash
what's worst in us or do they cauterize our worst sins and teach us a humility
that cannot otherwise be learned? {Do the hardships of} love demand more
distance from others or {bring us closer}?
Does passion turn love into idolatry, or does it reveal its divine fire?
So now let us go back to St Benedict. He says if we want to reach eternal life,
find the happiness of heaven, and avoid the torments of hell, it is to be
accomplished “by the light of life”.
What else is this Light but Jesus Christ? It is through the oil of mindfulness that
the lamp is lit. This light will not
only enlighten our darkened mind but lighten our heavy hearts. This “Light of Life” is the spark of divine
love that causes our oil to burn. We are
the still, silent wick immersed in this oil. We can hold the flame because we
have guarded our minds and hearts. We
can choose to be the small ‘wick’ carrying the great flame or to be (excuse the
pun) simply ‘wick-ed’. We are to choose
life or death…and thus choose heaven or hell!
Let us encourage each other to run together and reach eternal life, that
Light of Life. Let Christ set fire to
your mind and to your heart…all we need to do is remember the oil!!...and be
the wick that carries this Great Flame.
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