One of the elements the great religions of the world have in common is the wise advice to seek friends who are can be worthy and helpful companions on the spiritual journey. Given society the way is, and always has been, it is difficult to stay faithful, and to learn what we need to know, without the help of "soul friends."
These are persons who love God and seek truth as we do, and who have made the spiritual journey a priority in their lives. They will help you when you fall, encourage you when you feel like giving up, and share the treasures of their insights with you. They will keep reminding you of how important it is to care for your soul, and offer you suggestions from their own experience of how to do that effectively.
Today's reading, from Rig Veda 10, speaks of the importance of friends sharing spiritual knowledge with each other.
All people have eyes and ears, but their insight and understanding are not equal.
Some people are like shallow ponds that reach only to the mouth.
Others are like deep lakes in which people can immerse themselves.
When people gather for worship, some have nothing to say,
because they do not know the One they worship.
Others overflow with praise, for they know the One they worship in their hearts.
Friends should encourage one another in the contest of life.
They should save one another from error by sharing their knowledge,
just as they should save one another from hunger by sharing their food.
They should push one another forward to win the Divine prize.
There are many ways of sharing knowledge.
Some people can compose poems like trees,
in which each line is a branch bearing the blossom of Divine Truth.
Some can sing songs whose melody and rhythm are the music of Divine Love.
Some can recite the wisdom of ancient sages.
Some can perform ancient rituals.
This is my prayer of response:
Creator of all, I know about those shallow ponds.
They are all around me.
Rare indeed is the deep lake in which I might immerse myself.
I pray You will deepen me, that I might be
a deep lake of Living Water in which others may immerse themselves
and be healed and refreshed.
I thank You for the soul friends in my life,
who share their spiritual knowledge with me,
and encourage me through the trials of life.
May I be such a friend to others.
May what I write bear the blossom of Your Divine Truth.
May I sing the music of Divine Love.
May I teach the ancient wisdom of the world's sages
as I myself have been taught,
and so feed other hungering hearts.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment