Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

C. S. Lewis is widely known for his work The Chronicles of Narnia. But I have been reading some of his writings on christianity.

Lewis was at some point "converted" which really means that, just like St. Paul, he was touched by God and he could no longer stay quiet about it. He wrote, and wrote and wrote. He is an intense and profound intellectual, yet at the same time he can relay a very complex analisis in a fairly simple matter. Today I would like to expound a bit about his concept of Pride (with a capital "P"). I am not talking about pride in one's children or in one's accomplishments. Please bear in mind that this work was written in the 1940's and 1950's. Pride, in his view, is the utmost evil because it leads to the anti-God state of mind. As Deepak Chopra would put it, it keeps you away from "God-consciousness".

Lewis says Pride is the chief cause of misery in the world because it is enmity. Pride is essentially competitive, according to Lewis. Pride does not gloat on having something but rather on having more than everyone else. Pride in this sense does not stem from being rich or handsome but rather on being richer and handsomer that everyone else. The Cardinal sin of Pride has taken hold when we are measuring ourselves up with everyone else and having to be superior, being above everyone else. Power is what Pride really enjoys.

When you look down on others to the point of feeling so superior that you do not care what they think of you because they are so small in comparison to you - this is the real "black diabolical Pride" according to Lewis. Even in our relationship with God there can be an element of Pride. He says that there is a simple test: if in our spiritual life we feel that we are good - above all, better that others because we pray, or go to church or give alms to the poor, beware! then we are being acted upon by Pride, not by God.

These are things to think about because we live in a society that treasures competition, being better than others. Are we doing wrong by our children when we ourselves teach them this? Isn't it a good escape route from this catch 22 of competition to adopt the concept of sainthood in our everyday life? After all, with this vision of sainthood we are not competing, we are arising to the good God within us and being excellent in his name and for his glory.

I will be commenting a bit more on this work by C.S. Lewis which is fascinating and should be read by any Christian regardless of denomination.

Opus Dei concept of sainthood

When I mention that I feel a real afinity for the Opus Dei concept of sainthood, people look at me like I am crazy. Between the idea of saints dying these horrifying deaths and The Da Vinci Code no one wants to have anything to do with it. But to any Catholic or to any christian for that matter the concept of achieving sainthood is extremely attractive if you take away the martyrdom, and that is what the Opus Dei does, it takes away the necessity of martyrdom from sainthood. You can become a saint in your everyday life, you can become a saint just living your everyday life, in your work, in your marriage, as a parent, you do not need to be extraordinary for sainthood; live your life in chastity which means no adultary, with charity, in love, and you are on your way. Love God above all things, love your family, be excellent in your work, with your wife or husband, with your children, do your best for your parents and your family. Be humble, know that all your talents all your ideas and creativity come from God and use them as God would want you to use them in love and for the benefit of many, and that is all that is asked of you. Does that sound so hard or so terrible? If we all thought that way what a different planet we would be living in, I believe we would be back in the Garden Of Eden.

The Third Jesus by Deepak Chopra

I have reado many of Chopra's books. He is an incredibley profound person. But I am truly surprised about how much he knows of christianity and the Bible. Sometimes I feel like we are reared to be so ignorant. How can we truly understand others if we know nothing about them or their way of thinking? Last week I saw the first of a series of interviews by a Unity Minister of Deepak about this new book he has written about Jesus. He can recite whole passages of John or Paul by memory! It is amazing! I have heard hin recite Tagore or Rumi by memory, but I thought that one remembers poems or rhymes learnes in childhood, but, even though he said he studies with christian monks when he was a child, his knowledge of the Bible and of historical Bible findings demonstrate a very profound knowledge and a furious curiosity on his part that is truly astounding. As for his theory, he envisions 3 Jesus: the historical, ie, the man that existed and has been documented by Roman historians including his death; the dogmatic Jesus, the one who arose from the Nicean Council and the god consciousness Jesus, which is the one he believes we should be emulatinf and listening to. This third Jesus has pointed to the source, and we, according to Deepak look at his finger and not what he is pointing to.... more thoughts later

Eat, Love, Pray by Elizabeth Gilbert

It amazes me how well this woman writes. I truly enjoyed her book, she has a wonderful openness about the things she says about herself and her own personal process. She's honest. I like that. I've dedicated the last 7 or 8 years to reading books like hers. There are, I believe, several cmoon themes to all of them. First, a decision. A very important decision. The decision to move, or to change, or to grow, or to transform, each has a different way of expressing it but it all boils down to that one very basic and fundamental decision. I suppose the spiritual path is like all journeys, it begins with the first step, and that step must be a decision. After that, each individual has within him or herself the answer to the question, which direction? I will be commenting on my own personal route.