The lesson title for this week is “Confident in Faith.” One way to describe that confidence is to think of the woman who had such powerful faith, she knew that just by “touching the garment of Jesus, her healing was assured.”
“His garment” is a metaphor for a consciousness of the Christ, the perfect pattern of wholeness in all of creation. I love the expression, “Cosmic Christ,” because it helps us to distinguish between Jesus, the man, and Christ, as the consciousness that he attained, and that we, too, can attain.
I have been calling on the Christ at this challenging time in my own life, overcoming a nebulous infection that has prevented my return to church. I have been reflecting on the Christ since there is so much pain and grief in our world right now. But the Cosmic Christ is present wherever there is pain. Wherever injustice reigns, the Cosmic Christ is crucified again. This also means that wherever justice is fought for and prevails; wherever healing takes place and is passed on; wherever compassion prevails, the Cosmic Christ is healing, redeeming, liberating on a cosmic scale. The Cosmic Christ fills us with healing power as we also realize that all suffering is cosmic or shared suffering.
Joanna Macy said, “The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe.” Essentially, there is only one heart—the heart of the Cosmic Christ who is also the bodhisattva, one who is fully committed to the enlightenment of every creature on earth. The Cosmic Christ is the crucified and suffering one in every creature, just as much as the Cosmic Christ is the radiant one, the divine mirror glistening and glittering in every creature.
We are in a cosmic experience together, part of a larger story than our own. Let us remember to tune into the consciousness of the Christ through this time for our guidance, wisdom, understanding, and inner peace. Try meditating on the “Cosmic Christ.”
Love & Blessings,
Rev. Kathy