The whole object of life

The Father is ever ready to forgive our sin or mistake provided we are ready to acknowledge it and try to correct it. But forgiving us for making a mistake does not mean that we will not have to reap its results, for as we sow so shall we reap. If through disobedience a child is burned the parents readily forgive it and love it all the more because of its suffering, but in spite of the forgiveness the child must still suffer the pain of the burn. Once we understand that every event in life is calculated to bring to the mind of him whom, for the sake of understanding, we will call the sinner, the mistakes he has made and the reasons for them, then there is no question of not being forgiven. Through such recognition does man grow, for the whole object of life is for man to understand himself and to know why he makes these mistakes.

The Teacher

Outpouring of Divine Life, Love and Wisdom

What we call the Christ is the outpouring of Divine Life, Love and Wisdom which is expressed in the story of Jesus the Christ.

The only true religion

It does not matter whether we belong to any so-called religion; as long as we recognise the everlasting Divine Life-power which emanates from the Godhead, we are in truth worshipping the Christ. Some call it Christ, some Krishna, some Buddha, etc. Yet all represent the same underlying cosmic principle or ideal. And to be true to this universal ideal and seek to let it manifest in your life is the only true religion. The name by which we call it does not matter—just as all humanity are God's children and it does not matter whether we call them John or Harry or any other name.

The Teacher

To love the Christ

To love the Christ we must let His force manifest through us.

The same great Avatar

Jesus the Christ as the Savior of humanity is the same great Avatar in His universal aspect as the Light and Life and Son of His Father, manifesting through this world, through all creatures and all things as that Power which is forever drawing them upward and Godward. Therefore, in one sense the two are one. Yet as Jesus He seems to come closer to us because Jesus was the human aspect in which He manifested. If we recognise that in reality the Christ manifests through the Higher Self of each Soul passing through its pilgrimage of Earth and lifting up all the events of Earth, then in very truth He is closer and we can call on Him to enter into us and help us to pass through all our trials.

The Teacher

Divine Outpouring

The way to gain a full and clear knowledge of the Christ is to seek Him in your heart. And when it warms at the thought and you feel that great love filling you, say to yourself, This is true. This very love that is in me is the outpouring of His heart, and I can draw close to Him only through love. I can know and will know my Beloved more and more only as I seek for Him within myself and also in my brothers and sisters; only as I try to live true, to watch for Truth, to take no subterfuge, to listen to words of love which come in His messages to mankind; only as I refuse to take as His anything that does not measure up to this divine outpouring of Christ-light in the world.

The Teacher

Spark of Divinity

When any Soul has honestly and sincerely tried to draw close to the Christ, that Soul finds Him, not in the personality of a man crucified ages ago, but within himself, a very spark of Divinity and oneness with the Father.

The Teacher

We have all eternity to grow in

God never expects any of His children to believe or to do that which to them at their stage of development seems impossible. He knows well that we are but children and that we will grow both in understanding and in love and in appreciation of the Christ. We have all eternity to grow in, for we are told most positively that Jesus the Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

The Teacher

Spiritual Things

Realise that spiritual things must be spiritually discerned.

I am willing to learn

Only when the mind is straightened out and says, I am willing to learn, will the truth and the Christ-child be born in the heart; and only after its birth will the mind recognise it and father it. First the mind must recognise and seek, then the heart will bring forth when the time comes. It is true that all earnest, sincere desire to penetrate the mysteries of life is an instinct of the Soul born in us from the heart, or it is our recognition in a vague, mystic way of this great broadcasting of the mystic Wisdom of all ages.

The Teacher

Disturbed by the conditions in the world

Do not be impatient or particularly disturbed by the conditions in the world. They could not disturb us if we truly realised that they are all working upward toward ultimate peace and harmony and love; that it is only when man refuses to let the Light shine in him that this inharmony and violence manifest; that through the very violence and inharmony man suffers from he will ultimately find the peace and love that is being sent to him.

The Teacher

Know that no effort is in vain

Know that no effort is in vain.

Rest in the love of the Christ

Never permit yourself to grow discouraged. Go ahead as though the victory was assured you. Have faith, and rest in the love of the Christ.

Try to correct it

We must seek to understand what is lacking in our present life, or what we have failed to do in the past, and try to correct it.

The ultimate answer to all questions

You will find the answer to most of your troubles if you enter into your own inner Divine Self and there truly ask of God. God is everywhere, a mighty friend of Love and Wisdom, but yet when we want to ask of Him we must find Him in our own inner Divine Self. There we will find just as much of God as we have been able to make room for. It is this inner part, or reflection of God, which gives us the assurance of the Truth of all that we want to know. And although it is well to study and to ask of those whom we think perhaps know more than we do, yet even then the ultimate answer to all questions must be given by this God Within before we fully accept it.

The Teacher

Yet we know that the day will come

Everyone's life is made up of days and nights. We know that the Sun is always shining even though it passes around to the other side of the world and gives us a night of darkness. But it is sure to come back. And so it is with the Sun of Righteousness. And though we may have our moments of despondency, while it is dark and the Sun of Righteousness does not seem to shine upon us and when all the little personal conditions seem to loom so darkly, yet we know that the day will come.

Letters from the Teacher, Volume II, Universal Religious Fellowship Inc., Harriette Augusta Curtiss and F. Homer Curtiss, Curtiss Book Company, California, 1924

An Inexhaustible Stream

Try to conquer fear, and you will when you once let this great thought that the Lord Christ will open the door of your body, mind and heart. And as this door is opened all the love and wisdom and helpfulness will pour in and fill you. Once you make your subconscious mind know this, it will never stop building it in, drawing on it like an inexhaustible stream and making you that which you desire to become. Therefore, don't grow discouraged. Keep at it constantly. Whenever you feel discouraged, afraid or in any way too tired to think, stop thinking and instead of thinking just repeat these few words. Keep on with them and you will soon find it stops thoughts and fills you with a rest and understanding that your Christ is with you and that you are growing closer to Him.

O Lord Christ, open the door of my body to perfect health. O Lord Christ, open the door of my mind to perfect understanding. O Lord Christ, open the door of my heart to perfect spiritual realisation.

The Teacher

What life is meant to teach us

The difficulties and the conflicting forces which seem to hold us are but the stones in the road. And if we are not strong enough to realise it is the road, even though it may be stony and the ruts may seem to be sharp and cutting, then we have not reached the true realisation of what life is meant to teach us.

The Teacher

Lay him upon the altar of the Law

Recognise a Divine Law-giver, a mighty living Principle which we call God, who rules the universe and rules the hearts of all the atoms in the universe; that each atom is brought into contact with the conditions best suited for its growth and development.

The Teacher

Ask for guidance

Ask for guidance; pray earnestly that whatever is true shall work out in your life.