To start this 4th year of writing this blog, I think that one of the most liberating aspects of my long searching about agape has come from separating agape from love. I’ve written a lot in this blog about why the English word ‘love’ is not the right translation of ‘agape,’ but I haven’t written about my personal experiences with finding different meaning in the power of agape.
The more I experienced the deep spiritual aspect of agape, the more I realized the profound consequences of agape not being generated by human emotions. Even though there are enough similarities between agape and love to cause the historical confusion of translating agape with the word ‘love,’ that very confusion brought about a slight “detour” in the spiritual development of the human race.
The problem came from a shift in focus. The major focus, for advancing the overall flowing of agape among people, was meant to be on the spiritual source of agape. But by confusing it with love, the focus shifted to human emotions. Once I began to see the extent of that problem, I was able to shift my focus back to the spiritual source for agape. Then I was able to detect the presence of agape in relationships where it was not named as such but the meaning was there.
An example of that was a report by Pierre Pradervand in “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stories for a Better World.” He used a quote from the Sermon on the Mount to start a practice of blessing people. In that section about having agape for enemies, he used the KJV “bless those who curse you.” For him that became a spiritual breakthrough to end his resentment against someone who had caused him to quit a job. He wrote about the changes in his perspective brought about by blessing everyone around him: “to bless is to acknowledge the unlimited good that is embedded in the very texture of the universe and awaiting each and all. … To bless means to wish, unconditionally, total unrestricted good for others and events from the deepest chamber of your heart. It means to hallow, to hold in reverence, to behold with utter awe, that which is always a gift from the Creator. To bless is to invoke divine care upon, to speak or think gratefully for, to confer happiness upon -- although we are never the bestower, but simply the joyful witnesses of life’s abundance.” (p. 270-271) Then he concluded by referring to an encounter he finally had with the person he had resented so much: “This person, whom I had seen as my tormentor and enemy, suddenly appeared as what the universe had always intended: my teacher on the path of greater love.” (p. 272)
Based on the description of how this impacted his life, Pierre was actually referring to agape when he talked about “greater love.” His comments were so similar to ones I have made at times in these blog postings, that I was very moved by his report on what unfolded in his life.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Agape Prayer and the dawning of a new era of history
I ended my Agape Prayer book with the following statement:
“The basis of the spiritual meaning of agape comes down to the powerful conclusion in the First Letter of John. “No one has ever seen God. If we share agape with each other, God remains in us and God’s agape is made perfect in us.” (1 Jn. 4:12 CEB) “Let’s share agape with each other, because agape is from God, and everyone who shares agape is born from God, and knows God. The person who doesn’t share agape does not know God, because God is agape.” (1 Jn. 4:7 CEB) “God is agape, and those who remain in agape remain in God and God remains in them.” (1 Jn. 4:16b CEB)
“And when we look back 2000 years, we see that so many people had lost all hope in experiencing a connection with God that Paul wrote his great message of hope that God poured agape into our heart through the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 5:5) So it is by means of giving us agape that we experience being intimate with divine Presence. In a similar way, as I look at the period of massive change of our age, and as I see so many people struggling to find hope, I agree with Paul that there is hope in the spreading of spiritual agape. That spread helps reduce the violence and destructiveness we hear about around the world. And so a new era of history is dawning.”
One of the main conclusions I came to through all my work with agape has to do with its universal human commonality. That allowed me to take another, deeper look at the writings of Paul. I began to see that even though his work resulted in people coming together to support one another, I don’t think he saw his work as starting a new religion. Instead, I think he believed he was opening up the teachings of Christ to all people. It was the social conditions of generations after his time that forced the organizing of protectionist exclusivism.
Paul came to the great realization of agape being poured into people’s hearts as part of his hope for all people. So I have come to see agape as of the essence of the created being. The profound awareness that comes when agape is allowed to work in a person’s life leads to the realization that it is found everywhere, in the heart-center of all people.
So agape is not confined to Christians. I think that Christians would make a terrible mistake if we get to thinking that somehow agape is only for Christians. Even though the Christians of the First Century arrived at a historical breakthrough in recognizing agape, that was not just for Christians. It was only in later centuries that some people began to try controlling agape power so that only certain people could have access to it.
“The basis of the spiritual meaning of agape comes down to the powerful conclusion in the First Letter of John. “No one has ever seen God. If we share agape with each other, God remains in us and God’s agape is made perfect in us.” (1 Jn. 4:12 CEB) “Let’s share agape with each other, because agape is from God, and everyone who shares agape is born from God, and knows God. The person who doesn’t share agape does not know God, because God is agape.” (1 Jn. 4:7 CEB) “God is agape, and those who remain in agape remain in God and God remains in them.” (1 Jn. 4:16b CEB)
“And when we look back 2000 years, we see that so many people had lost all hope in experiencing a connection with God that Paul wrote his great message of hope that God poured agape into our heart through the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 5:5) So it is by means of giving us agape that we experience being intimate with divine Presence. In a similar way, as I look at the period of massive change of our age, and as I see so many people struggling to find hope, I agree with Paul that there is hope in the spreading of spiritual agape. That spread helps reduce the violence and destructiveness we hear about around the world. And so a new era of history is dawning.”
One of the main conclusions I came to through all my work with agape has to do with its universal human commonality. That allowed me to take another, deeper look at the writings of Paul. I began to see that even though his work resulted in people coming together to support one another, I don’t think he saw his work as starting a new religion. Instead, I think he believed he was opening up the teachings of Christ to all people. It was the social conditions of generations after his time that forced the organizing of protectionist exclusivism.
Paul came to the great realization of agape being poured into people’s hearts as part of his hope for all people. So I have come to see agape as of the essence of the created being. The profound awareness that comes when agape is allowed to work in a person’s life leads to the realization that it is found everywhere, in the heart-center of all people.
So agape is not confined to Christians. I think that Christians would make a terrible mistake if we get to thinking that somehow agape is only for Christians. Even though the Christians of the First Century arrived at a historical breakthrough in recognizing agape, that was not just for Christians. It was only in later centuries that some people began to try controlling agape power so that only certain people could have access to it.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Agape Prayer conclusion
In the final chapter of my Agape Prayer book, I started with the following statement:
And then by using “the spiritual influence of divine Presence” as a much better translation than “the Kingdom of God,” I used the mustard seed metaphor from Jesus to conclude:
After these seven steps of this different approach to prayer have been completed, there is a deepened understanding that there is a basic reality in the heart-center of all people. It is important that we are able to awaken a deep awareness of a common reality that we all share.
“But like all understandings that come to us in life, the expansion of this understanding will go on for years, possibly the rest of a lifetime. Each of us may have to go through the seven steps again and again to gain the deep realization of how connected are all people. When the awareness of that basic reality has been awakened, the possibility has opened before us to begin to fully comprehend what all people have in common. And further, it is possible to gain the sense of how we are connected with all of Creation.”
And then by using “the spiritual influence of divine Presence” as a much better translation than “the Kingdom of God,” I used the mustard seed metaphor from Jesus to conclude:
"spiritual agape ‘has been planted’ in our hearts to nurture our awakening as we slowly grow in our consciousness of spiritual power in our relationships. Such growth could then be called ‘agape consciousness.’ That’s how we become aware of “the spiritual influence of divine Presence.” So as we act on that influence in our relationships, feeling the power of patience, and experiencing the growth and power of kindness (1 Cor. 13:4), we truly realize that there is a divine influence “within us” (or “among us”). That is what Jesus was describing. That is what Jesus was waking up in people’s lives. And so that is what we need to open up to and allow to happen in our lives.”
Monday, September 10, 2012
Peace Prayer revision
In the Conclusion of my Agape Prayer book, I used the following revision of the famous international Peace Prayer (it appeared in many languages beginning in 1912 and was finally translated in English in 1929 in a Quaker magazine, where it was attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. In that translation, the expression “sow love” was used in a spiritual way that seems to mean what we have come to recognize as agape. So on this 11th anniversary of the 9/11/01 massacre I offer the following revision):
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow agape.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to receive agape, as to spread agape.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.”
There also was a variation delivered by Mother Theresa of Calcutta when receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in 1979 and when she addressed the United Nations in 1985. Because of her work, I think I can keep the meaning by changing ‘love’ to ‘agape’ as follows:
“Make us worthy Lord to serve others throughout the world,
who live and die in poverty and hunger.
Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread
and by agape give peace and joy.
Lord, make me a channel of thy peace.
That where there is hatred, I may bring agape,
That where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness,
That where there is discord, I may bring harmony,
That where there is error, I may bring truth,
That where there is doubt, I may bring faith,
That where there is despair, I may bring hope,
That where there are shadows, I may bring light,
That where there is sadness, I may bring joy.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted,
To understand than to be understood,
To spread agape than to receive agape.
For it is by forgetting self that one finds.
It is by forgiving that one is forgiven,
It is by dying that one awakens to eternal life.
Amen.
(quoted in Wikipedia, “Prayer of Saint Francis”)
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow agape.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to receive agape, as to spread agape.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.”
There also was a variation delivered by Mother Theresa of Calcutta when receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in 1979 and when she addressed the United Nations in 1985. Because of her work, I think I can keep the meaning by changing ‘love’ to ‘agape’ as follows:
“Make us worthy Lord to serve others throughout the world,
who live and die in poverty and hunger.
Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread
and by agape give peace and joy.
Lord, make me a channel of thy peace.
That where there is hatred, I may bring agape,
That where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness,
That where there is discord, I may bring harmony,
That where there is error, I may bring truth,
That where there is doubt, I may bring faith,
That where there is despair, I may bring hope,
That where there are shadows, I may bring light,
That where there is sadness, I may bring joy.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted,
To understand than to be understood,
To spread agape than to receive agape.
For it is by forgetting self that one finds.
It is by forgiving that one is forgiven,
It is by dying that one awakens to eternal life.
Amen.
(quoted in Wikipedia, “Prayer of Saint Francis”)
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Agape for Creation
Because I finished a very rough first rough draft of the book, I continue commenting on each chapter by now turning to chapter 7. With this chapter I finished describing the 7-step agape prayer practice.
Here are a few excerpts from this final chapter:
From our very limited human perspective, our spiritual development is enhanced by accepting a visualization of participation in agape expansion. To aid in this visualization, STEP 7 can be thought of as a series of expansions as ‘the circle of agape’ is understood to expand out and out to ever larger ‘groups.’ To be able to put it into words, imagine Step 7 involving six expansions:
For example, by going from your neighborhood or housing complex out to other areas of your town or city or suburb. Also you could go from one school out to whole school districts.
Another expansion of prayer concern could flow out to a whole state, then out to regions of a country. Further expansion would be to nations near yours. Imagine how a future could unfold in which the consciousness of agape could spread and aid in bringing about creative methods for promoting justice and better understanding between antagonistic cultural groups and eventually produce creative ways to solve problems in relations between nations.
Then expand your prayer for agape to continents and then out to the whole world. Let your imagination open up to creative ways for spiritual development throughout humanity. Envision the possibility of a world in which people could come together to produce long-lasting, creative ways to deal with international problems so that nations would no longer need to resort to military conflict to try solving problems. When the inspiration found in John 3:16 is studied backwards and forwards, the implication becomes the following: God’s agape is for the world [in Greek, “cosmos”], and Christ was sent to start spreading the eternal Life power of agape to all.
And finally, as we remember parts of the Bible where concern is given for non-human creatures, we realize that eventually we need to extend our agape prayer beyond human communities. So we need to realize that, in the spiritual sense, Agape Prayer gives the feeling of following God’s agape as it spreads out to Creation itself. So the last part of Step 7 is to follow God’s agape to all of Creation. That’s why it’s been important throughout all these steps to keep in mind that we are not the originators but are sensing the flow of God’s agape.
Here are a few excerpts from this final chapter:
From our very limited human perspective, our spiritual development is enhanced by accepting a visualization of participation in agape expansion. To aid in this visualization, STEP 7 can be thought of as a series of expansions as ‘the circle of agape’ is understood to expand out and out to ever larger ‘groups.’ To be able to put it into words, imagine Step 7 involving six expansions:
For example, by going from your neighborhood or housing complex out to other areas of your town or city or suburb. Also you could go from one school out to whole school districts.
Another expansion of prayer concern could flow out to a whole state, then out to regions of a country. Further expansion would be to nations near yours. Imagine how a future could unfold in which the consciousness of agape could spread and aid in bringing about creative methods for promoting justice and better understanding between antagonistic cultural groups and eventually produce creative ways to solve problems in relations between nations.
Then expand your prayer for agape to continents and then out to the whole world. Let your imagination open up to creative ways for spiritual development throughout humanity. Envision the possibility of a world in which people could come together to produce long-lasting, creative ways to deal with international problems so that nations would no longer need to resort to military conflict to try solving problems. When the inspiration found in John 3:16 is studied backwards and forwards, the implication becomes the following: God’s agape is for the world [in Greek, “cosmos”], and Christ was sent to start spreading the eternal Life power of agape to all.
And finally, as we remember parts of the Bible where concern is given for non-human creatures, we realize that eventually we need to extend our agape prayer beyond human communities. So we need to realize that, in the spiritual sense, Agape Prayer gives the feeling of following God’s agape as it spreads out to Creation itself. So the last part of Step 7 is to follow God’s agape to all of Creation. That’s why it’s been important throughout all these steps to keep in mind that we are not the originators but are sensing the flow of God’s agape.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Agape for groups
After finishing a rough draft of the book, I continue commenting on each chapter by now turning to chapter 6.
This chapter, of course, is about the 6th Step in the 7-step agape prayer practice. It is an expansion of what I said for individuals. Now I turned to groups.
Here are a few excerpts from this chapter:
Choices of groups might be a church, school, family, study class, neighborhood or housing complex. Pray to experience how agape is manifested among them. When I say pray for the well-being of that group, I mean in the same way that you prayed for a person in Steps 2-5. Prayerfully hold with your attention a group you choose, and visualize participating with this group in the spiritual flowing of agape. Then let agape flow into that moment of prayer. As you hold the group in prayer, you may pray the words, “Let agape flow among …”
And remember, being in ‘agape contact’ isn’t effected in any way by distance or time. Practice this exercise until you are able to experience the power of agape flowing into the center of this group’s life and work.
You might want to expand to other groups by using similar categories to the ones in those previous steps; for example, expand from the spiritually meaningful group to consider a group of friends, then expand to a group of strangers, and finally expand to a group of people from a culture or nation considered to be enemies of your own culture or nation.
As the Agape Prayer Practice develops for you, it helps to constantly keep realizing that these steps are only possible because agape does not originate with you, but is actually the way the divine Presence is made manifest to all that God creates. So you are merely following God’s agape into the interactions of a group.
This chapter, of course, is about the 6th Step in the 7-step agape prayer practice. It is an expansion of what I said for individuals. Now I turned to groups.
Here are a few excerpts from this chapter:
Choices of groups might be a church, school, family, study class, neighborhood or housing complex. Pray to experience how agape is manifested among them. When I say pray for the well-being of that group, I mean in the same way that you prayed for a person in Steps 2-5. Prayerfully hold with your attention a group you choose, and visualize participating with this group in the spiritual flowing of agape. Then let agape flow into that moment of prayer. As you hold the group in prayer, you may pray the words, “Let agape flow among …”
And remember, being in ‘agape contact’ isn’t effected in any way by distance or time. Practice this exercise until you are able to experience the power of agape flowing into the center of this group’s life and work.
You might want to expand to other groups by using similar categories to the ones in those previous steps; for example, expand from the spiritually meaningful group to consider a group of friends, then expand to a group of strangers, and finally expand to a group of people from a culture or nation considered to be enemies of your own culture or nation.
As the Agape Prayer Practice develops for you, it helps to constantly keep realizing that these steps are only possible because agape does not originate with you, but is actually the way the divine Presence is made manifest to all that God creates. So you are merely following God’s agape into the interactions of a group.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Agape for an enemy
I’ve been spending so much time on my book that I haven’t taken the time for this blog. But finally I finished a rough draft of the book, so now I can return to the blog. For chapter 5, I enjoyed quoting from M. L. King and Karen Armstrong.
This chapter, of course, is about the 5th Step in the 7-step agape prayer practice. It is the most difficult step to learn, but it is also the most important step for the future of the human race. It is about holding in prayer an enemy -- and not just a personal enemy, but there is an extension of this step that involves holding in prayer an enemy of the nation. So the purpose of this step is to practice letting the flow of agape help you want the well-being of this enemy equally as strongly as you did for the persons you chose for the other steps. In order to accomplish this, you need to visualize participating with this person in the spiritual flowing of agape until finding the spiritual concern that this chosen person will find personal well-being and deep sense of peace.
Here are a few excerpts from this chapter:
As you did in Step 4, spend a few minutes thinking about why there is that difference in attitude between how you feel toward a friend, a family member, a stranger, and a hostile person. Of course, here we have to deal even more strongly with the realization that our attitude toward the other person makes no difference in this prayer practice. That’s why it’s important to constantly remember that agape does not originate with you.
The point of realizing the spiritual basis of agape is that not only are humans created with agape in their heart-center, but as agape works in people’s lives, they find that the deepening of relationships is a divinely-inspired action (is that why John’s section on the Last Supper showed Jesus giving his special teaching that agape is the basis of his “new COMMANDMENT”?). So the power of agape has the full spiritual weight of being given to human beings by God. Therefore, God’s gift of agape has the purpose of helping people become divinely inspired to treat all people equally. So that’s how it becomes possible for you to find the divine power of human relations pouring into your heart.
Even though the existence of spiritual agape in everyone’s heart is the basic reality of human existence, that is not readily understood by a lot of people today. Unfortunately in the modern world a lot of people expend too much psychological energy trying to deny that basic reality of human existence.
A main outcome of these steps is for us to think of people equally and then let agape so transform our approach to relationships that we are able to treat people equally. Isn’t that what Jesus meant when he talked about God treating all people equally? (“For God makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. If you show agape only for those who show agape to you, what reward do you have?” … Treat people in the same way that you want them to treat you. If you share agape with those who share agape with you, why should you be commended?” (Mt. 5:45-48; Lk. 6:35 CEB))
And of course, we have this teaching from Jesus: “But I say to you, share agape with your enemies and pray for those who harass you because of your faith so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven. … Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete in showing agape to everyone, so also you must be complete. … Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. … Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” (Mt. 5: 7-39; 44-48 CEB)
This chapter, of course, is about the 5th Step in the 7-step agape prayer practice. It is the most difficult step to learn, but it is also the most important step for the future of the human race. It is about holding in prayer an enemy -- and not just a personal enemy, but there is an extension of this step that involves holding in prayer an enemy of the nation. So the purpose of this step is to practice letting the flow of agape help you want the well-being of this enemy equally as strongly as you did for the persons you chose for the other steps. In order to accomplish this, you need to visualize participating with this person in the spiritual flowing of agape until finding the spiritual concern that this chosen person will find personal well-being and deep sense of peace.
Here are a few excerpts from this chapter:
As you did in Step 4, spend a few minutes thinking about why there is that difference in attitude between how you feel toward a friend, a family member, a stranger, and a hostile person. Of course, here we have to deal even more strongly with the realization that our attitude toward the other person makes no difference in this prayer practice. That’s why it’s important to constantly remember that agape does not originate with you.
The point of realizing the spiritual basis of agape is that not only are humans created with agape in their heart-center, but as agape works in people’s lives, they find that the deepening of relationships is a divinely-inspired action (is that why John’s section on the Last Supper showed Jesus giving his special teaching that agape is the basis of his “new COMMANDMENT”?). So the power of agape has the full spiritual weight of being given to human beings by God. Therefore, God’s gift of agape has the purpose of helping people become divinely inspired to treat all people equally. So that’s how it becomes possible for you to find the divine power of human relations pouring into your heart.
Even though the existence of spiritual agape in everyone’s heart is the basic reality of human existence, that is not readily understood by a lot of people today. Unfortunately in the modern world a lot of people expend too much psychological energy trying to deny that basic reality of human existence.
A main outcome of these steps is for us to think of people equally and then let agape so transform our approach to relationships that we are able to treat people equally. Isn’t that what Jesus meant when he talked about God treating all people equally? (“For God makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. If you show agape only for those who show agape to you, what reward do you have?” … Treat people in the same way that you want them to treat you. If you share agape with those who share agape with you, why should you be commended?” (Mt. 5:45-48; Lk. 6:35 CEB))
And of course, we have this teaching from Jesus: “But I say to you, share agape with your enemies and pray for those who harass you because of your faith so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven. … Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete in showing agape to everyone, so also you must be complete. … Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. … Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” (Mt. 5: 7-39; 44-48 CEB)
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