My holiness blesses the world.
If the world is an illusion, then why are we here? What is the purpose of this illusion?
A Course in Miracles suggests that the answer is: so that we can see the world as and through our holiness, which ends the separation. When we do this, we and the world are blessed together, sacrifice and loss disappear, and all that remains is love.
In essence, that is our role in the illusion. In truth we do nothing; love always “comes of itself.”
In the holy instant the condition of love is met, for minds are joined without the body’s interference, and where there is communication there is peace . . . communication embraces everything, and in the peace it re-establishes, love comes of itself (T-15.IX.7:1, 6).
The course further implies that this is a natural and organic experience extending from what we are in truth.
Your holiness is the salvation of the world. It lets you teach the world that it is one with you, not by preaching to it, not by telling it anything, but merely by your quiet recognition that in your holiness are all things blessed along with you (W-pI.37.3:1-2).
One way to ascertain whether are “seeing” this way is to ask if we are also seeing sacrifice of any kind – is something being demanded of us? Are we making demands of someone or something else?
That is, with respect to our ACIM practice, do we believe we have to give something up in order to experience holiness and its promise of peace? Our family maybe? Our sex life? The joy of eating chocolate? Gazing at cardinals and painted buntings? Bob Dylan songs? Emily Dickinson poems? What?
If you believe that you will lose anything (which will probably show up as the fear of losing something), then you are depriving yourself of the very peace that is your holiness. Its peace is what you are.
Indeed, our holiness is only means by which “the idea of sacrifice can be removed from the world’s thinking” (W-pI.37.2:1).
Any other way of seeing will inevitably demand payment of someone or something. As a result the perceiver will lose. Nor will he have any idea why he is losing. Yet is his wholeness restored to his awareness through your vision. Your holiness blesses him by asking nothing of him. Those who see themselves whole make no demands (W-pI.27.2:2-7).
When we gaze at the world through holiness, we see the reality that is beyond separation. We do not see separate selves with separate interests, but one self in communication remembering its identity as God’s creation. And that self has everything because it is everything.
What we are in truth knows that loss is not possible because it only sees through holiness, which can only bless what it sees.
No one loses; nothing is taken away from anyone; everyone gains through your holy vision. It signifies the end of sacrifice because it offers everyone his full due. And he is entitled to everything because it is his birthright as a Son of God (W-pI.37.1:4-6).
This is a deeply threatening idea to the ego, whose existence depends on your willingness to believe you are a body in the world and thus subject to the limitations of both. But to what you are in truth, nothing else but this idea is true.
Thus, lesson 37 offers us a profound opportunity: by making contact with holiness, we can pass beyond the body and the world to what we are in truth. No suggestion is made here that this has to happen; we are early yet in our study and practice. But the way is clear: and joy and peace are its outcome.
Hi Sean,
Please forgive the daft question.
How do I navigate the site? In order to land on the lesson of the day I Google search: ACIM lesson ____. Sean Reagan.
I can’t seem to find a menu on the site that takes me to the lessons.
It’s not a daft question 🙂
If you are on literally any page of the site other than the home page, you should see a Google custom search bar somewhere on the page. For me it’s in the right sidebar, but obviously this is a function of the screen I use.
This only searches my site, so the results are usually more effective than when Google searches the whole web.
The theme I’m currently using does not allow me to add a search feature to the home page. The fix involves more coding than I’m comfortable with; I’m not sure what to do about this.
The lessons part of this site is the least developed and accessible, and I am really trying to give some attention to it to make it more user-friendly. Also, I haven’t looked at a lot of those posts in years!
So right now, the best bet is to just head to the about page – or the most recent lesson you read – and then use the Google search option.
Thanks again for reading and sharing. Let me know if this helps!
~ Sean
Sean, I so appreciate your sharing these commentaries on the lessons. You have a gift for helping us “perceive through the lens of our own Holiness” — from further “upstream,” as you also say. As often as I find myself still thrashing around downstream, caught up in judgment or drama, I’m noticing that remembering the ever-present buoyancy of Love is becoming easier. I’m grateful. Thank you for sharing with us.
You’re welcome, Margaret. I certainly identify with thrashing around downstream 🙂 Yet knowing I can trek upstream – and having friends and allies with whom to trek – has been a true gift. I’m grateful for you, too.
~ Sean