2005-03-20-Lessons on Forgiveness

Session

Opening

TEACHER TOMAS: This is Thomas. Good afternoon. Many of us are here invisibly but energetically, adding to your gathering of light, and it impresses our "heart" that we are part of the pulse of eternity as we join together in trumpeting the good news of His arrival in the consciousness of all.

Welcome, Miriam.

Lesson

I would like to speak with you today of forgiveness, for it is a part of His coming. In anticipation of the celebration of the resurrection, immanent in your land – soon – it would behoove us to look at what that means to us, this resurrection wherewith so much importance is placed, and certainly not only upon death of the body but also death of those fallacies of the mind which hold captive those who have a mortal base.

Forgiveness is part of resurrection. Letting go of the hurts and ills of mortal existence allow you to be liberated therefrom. And thus you are risen. And in your resurrection, in these superconscious realms, you are the more likely to radiate the love of the divine Giver of all that is, including many of life’s vicissitudes, for they are a part of the experiential field in which you play, and work, and live.

A theory among you testifies to the position that there is nothing to forgive, that there is no offense taken, that misunderstandings are a matter of the mortal condition and not to be taken seriously. But there is also the position that judgment upon your fellows is based on a refusal to forgive qualities about your neighbor or yourself which are, to your programming, unacceptable.

Impatience also is a form of refusal to forgive, for impatience demands you behave rightly according to he or she who is manifesting impatience. Only through forgiveness of the human condition is this troublesome character defect appeased and put to rest.

Human preference is almost a right of passage into adulthood on this world. If you have no preference, you often get nothing, and so, in self interest, people adopt points of view and attitudes, tastes and opinions, which bespeak only that they have one, but not with any conviction of the Spirit of Truth behind these character colorations, and this is a part of the character of the drama you all face as actors on the stage of life itself.

If you had no frame of reference, you would find yourself quite at odds with your environment, and so the modifications of adaptation are a part of your make-up, as it is the part of the makeup of everyone else, whether they are across the continent, across the globe, across the valley, across the room or across the consciousness gap that resides between two separate and individual organisms, but which are bonded in intimate and fraternal community of spirit when abridged through the grace of forgiveness.

It could be said, then, if I forgive everything and everyone, even those little particularities of vocabulary or dialect which, even among like-minded people can be so troublesome, like nettles or briars that cling to your clothing, catching you up, as if you were the arbiter of all creation, one might ask: doesn’t this indicate a total lack of caring … about other people, about their attitudes, their speculations, their experiences, their conditioning or their frame of reference? Isn’t it so detached as to be completely removed from whether the person comes or goes, lives or dies, wins or loses?

When your heart is "in the right place," when it is nestled firmly in the Mother’s breast of compassion and care for all Her creation, what’s not to love? Every flaw can be overlooked, every maladjustment can be understood. Every willful act can be seen as a study in human character and every action can be seen as a method wherewith any individual may, through free will – the gift of the Father -- give according to his or her understanding.

Within this perspective of divine affection it is easier to forgive, not only others but yourself, for those quirks of character you are unable to see because you are too close to yourself but, through your interactions with others, are given a chance to see yourself reflected in their eyes and in their behaviors, [in] their adaptations to you, and their modifications to those circumstances which will render you willing to allow another greater than us to make those determinations and judge those behaviors as will be judged in terms of the eternal and not so limiting as the mortal perspective, which would just as soon slam the door on the offending view, blame it on the other guy, and go off in their self-imposed exile of isolation in common with most of humanity, without having to deal with the captivity that your spirit feels when it has to subserviently abide by your stubborn will choice to live without the light.

Jesus came to set the spiritual captives free. … not only from the fear of death, but from the fear of life.

And therein is our work at hand – the embracing of the life, the light, the way, the truth and the love that is ours for the taking. Be about the Father’s business, then, of forgiveness, and learn godlikeness in this.

Thus ends my message for this afternoon. I am willing, of course, to entertain your questions as they relate to the lesson or to your confusion regarding your involvement in the process of forgiveness or in any of the many and myriad ways you like to divert yourself from the work of soul-making.

Commencing Q&A:

Dialogue

And that was not a judgment! That was a fact. All of us have necessary and delightful diversions and interactions that compel questions and deserve answers. (Pause) When you address the floor, my friends, in anticipation of the transcription of these words to your fellows beyond, I would request you direct your question not only to those of us who hear with ears to hear, but to the tape recorder, which has problems in discerning.

Esmarelda: Tomas, your lesson was simply beautiful today, and thank you for it. Tomas, today I was – while you were talking about forgiveness – I can’t think of a solitary person that I need to forgive anything for. This week I am flowing with love for everyone. It’s a wonderful place to be – on this earth and a part of your Kingdom.

I wanted to thank all the celestial beings who I feel were with me this week. Not to mention the mortals, who were my two daughters, our friends, good doctors, and I feel like a new person. I was thinking also about – to borrow a little phrase from Bill Clinton’s speech in John Kerry’s campaign. He was talking about Kerry and he said that Kerry always said, "Send me" and I feel like I have been given new time and new life and Send Me.

TOMAS: Bless you for your song, Daughter, that you sing, and whose Spirit is heard on high, harmonizing, no doubt, with the Divine will.

How poignant it is, this material life, when its fragility is shown to be in existence - in the face of its ability to have held up [for] so long and through so much. Life is in many ways very fragile, and when the mortal comes face-to-face with how fragile, in fact, it is (this life in the flesh) there is a new-found appreciation for life itself … that overreaches the limits of the mere mortal appreciation and embraces the greatness of life in the bigger picture, adding new dimension to your appreciation for life and new-found vigor.

This is why many experiences (many of which are a normal part of life) are often the trigger to the upreach of the mortal for the Divine Hand to downreach and give greater depth, breadth and glory to the reality that will let you be forever. Like many of life’s seeming difficulties and painful areas, such as in the marital relationship or in the birthing of children, perspective is greatly enlarged when the recognition comes that the flesh is in many ways a mere illustration of the reality which is your inheritance, a mere shadow of the reality that is potentially yours forever, a mere fleck of dust in the eye of the eternal.

And so, looking back on these seeming vicissitudes, and allowing the mind to reflect on the inherent value of the experience without the accompanying pain and distress, the greater picture is made more visible and the finite falls away in a ready embrace of the infinite.

In this way also, for those of you who take the time to reflect on your experiences, and find the value inherent therein, you have begun to learn the key to your own advancement and your own soul’s growth, for you begin to realize the value of striving for yet more of these experiences which may seem somewhat painful on the surface, but which hold such quality of divinity, the nourishment and substance derived from the experience, far over-shadows the mere inconvenience—

Esmarelda: They are blessings, Tomas.

TOMAS: -- of the interim pain. Just as Jesus willingly experienced the crucifixion in order to reap the reward of his experience and come into His own, allowing Him then to radiate the light there where it had not been, and which you enjoy in your lives today through the Spirit of Truth.

Yes, these experiences are indeed blessings. They are the opportunities to reach for. When they say you will fatten upon disappointment, and eagerly run to difficult growing experiences as if you knew what you were getting into – like marriage and childbearing – you will learn to love the effects of the cause as much or more than the cause itself.

As for myself, my dear, I am simply glad you are still with us, and with renewed application to your greater life’s purpose and the capacities inherent within you to deliver the goods as God would direct your will.

Esmarelda: Thank you, Tomas.

Miriam: Tomas, I loved your lesson. I’m… We’ve had an exceptional week and knowing that our birthright and Father’s love is with us at all times, and that we are provided for and care was given … if we did but reach for it, and we’re all quite happy with the – to the best of our ability tried to reach for – we were blessed with the abundance of Father’s love as He came to us in the doctors, the nurses and tests and people in the right place at the right time and it was great to have the strength of our love for each other and Father and Mother with us as much as we could use them. It was, you know, if you gotta go through a ride like that, it’s the only way to go. And mother’s childlike approach to life in Father and His blessings. It was an honor be witness to that. And, you know, we’ll forever be grateful to all of the celestials who were helping us this week.

But … so there’s that, but your lesson about forgiveness and this mortal striving really hit home to me because I’ve walked through fire before and I’m a good walker, but that doesn’t mean we do it gracefully at all times. And the brambles that you were talking about, I got caught up in some brambles this week that I wish I couldn’t not have gotten caught up in and forgiveness that my sister showed me when I wasn’t at my best a couple times, it’s so appreciated. And it just blew me away; I just felt like I don’t deserve this blessing of forgiveness, and it was given so freely. So it’s inspiring to me to be aware that I have growth to do, and I want to know more about it.

I’m glad I can do what I do as far as it went, but there were times when I just thought, "I don’t want to say this. This thing that I know I’m going to blurt out. I just don’t want to say it." You know. "Please?" I know. Just be quiet. Just don’t … and then out it would come. The toad would pop out, and it was received with love, but, you know, your lesson’s just right on the money. So thank you.

TOMAS: The outpouring you have shared with all of us is welcome to our ears. I heard you say you were forgiven and did not feel deserving of forgiveness. I point out to you that you are not qualified to judge and that you must relinquish your hold on mercy, that it may flow to you as well as from you, for this is a part of the song we seek to sing that allows harmony to reverberate all the way to paradise and then back to you and through you, out into the field where you have been diligently working. We regard you as a trooper.

Do remember, when toads emit from your mouth, you need but kiss them with the balm of forgiveness for them to reflect as the Prince of Peace. Let yourself be yourself. Allow your own childlike nature to run rampant through the fields of joy and toil provided for you. You have given yourself to God. Your heart is good. Condemn not your heart’s manifestation of itself, for as is said, in your axiom, "God isn’t finished with you yet."

And this is where we benefit from his not being finished with you yet, because you are still here, with your loved ones, and in our company. And if anyone has to have any review of what importance each other plays in each other’s lives, it ought not take but a moment’s reflection to know how cold and dark and lonely the world can be without love in it. Even relative love, relatively perfect and relatively imperfect, is far better than no love at all. And this is also true: "Love is more contageous than hate" or anger or resentment or reptiles.

Paula: You are all very lucky to have been born into a family where you had brothers and sisters. I was an only child and didn’t have that experience. I did have a lifelong best friend, but I lost her three years ago. And now Mary Jo and I have gotten to be very close. She is as close to a sister as I’ll ever have, so she means a lot to me. We talk on the phone very day. She’s one terrific lady.

Elena: Well, Tomas, I have to beg your forgiveness because I slept through the whole lesson. I’m really sorry. So I hope that forgiveness is extended – I’m assuming that that’s going to be extended to me, too.

TOMAS: I am not your spiritual captor, Elena. I hold you not as a prisoner to my ministrations, trusting that even in your sleep, in your rest, you are finding the necessary nourishment to survive and persist and progress. Our Eternal Parents are ever watchful, even when mortal men and women fall short of their ability to notice everything about everyone or occasionally anything or anyone. It is always a reminder to note that when you sleep, you are acting in trust that the world will be here when your eyes open, as the light will shine in the morning after the long night, and as the resurrection will occur after the death.

Unrelated to the lesson or the issue of forgiveness, Elena, have you a question or a concern?

Elena: Well, I’m just grateful for this week. And I really didn’t worry this week because I really knew that we were in God’s hands, so I didn’t worry about that. And if I really apply that to everything else, then I guess I really don’t have anything else to worry about either. I am concerned about energy levels and going back to work next week, but that if I really apply that same kind of thinking, then really, what do I have to worry about? So, I guess with that, that’s basically it. And grateful for that, too.

TOMAS: It always boils down to a question of intent and motivation. And I cannot see your heart; and you cannot see your heart. Only God can see your heart in the way that will assure your personal fusion, and not everyone opts to go that route, and so, yes, there is the element of essential reality that will assure that all things good will be assimilated into the Evolving Supreme, and thus the contribution to God has been made.

This, however, is not the same as paying passage; it is something the Supreme takes unto itself as freely as humans take what they need to survive.

A conscious commitment to survive involves the supreme decision, the consecrated choice. This is that which constitutes the lever by which you are able to turn on your own light and by which the Father knows you. The testimony that it is your will to do His will may be a commitment and it may be a diversion. But only the individual in still, quiet reflection with his or her inner life can discern the relative truth content of his or her reflections, and this is a lesson similar to thatwhich comes when one ponders whether or not he is humble. It seems the more one wonders how humble he is, the less humble he appears.

To the extent that you forgive yourself, you must forgive others; and to the extent that you forgive others, you must forgive yourself.

Elena: I feel like I didn’t miss very much. I think you’ve caught me up on that very nicely. Thank you, Tomas.

TOMAS: This is what the Sabbath is created for, as I understand it, and so, then, there are matters of mortal concern to deal with having to do with resting and recreating as we did at the Retreat that was so enjoyed by all of us, mortal and divine and morontial. Let us recess, then, for you to have another taste of retreat from life in the joy of our association and fellowship in the spirit as siblings in the Family of God, the Father and Mother combined. I look forward to your next gathering. And in the interim, be of good cheer. Amen and farewell.

Group: Thank you. Tomas.