1924_04_06 Only Say the Word

[Ani]

ONLY SAY THE WORD^[1]

 

The centurion replied to him and said:

"God, I am not worthy to receive you under my roof,

but only say a word, and my boy will be healed."

 

Two states are important in life: the negative and the positive. The centurion reasoned correctly, wisely, and logically. He realized that the power of Christ was not in the entering of his house, but in the word which he would say. Consequently, power also is not in the body, nor in the build, nor in our stoutness, nor in our wealth, but in our intellect, which we manifest in our life. Every man however he might be, owes his greatness to three essential factors: to his mind, heart and will. For instance, they say about some doctor that he is wonderful, famous. - Why is he famous? - Because he is intelligent, knows how to put in use the four important, basic elements of nature - the light, the air, the water and the food. If the patient doesn't make use of these elements, no matter how many doctors would treat him, their efforts will be without result. The orator and the preacher, however great they might be, without these elements do not amount to anything. They owe their greatness to them. You will object, that light is an external element. But, we speak of the inner power of light, about that which it creates in the consciousness of man.

 

What is the meaning of our present life? - Everyone has his ideal and this also gives meaning to his life. All creatures, from the biggest to the smallest, have their aspirations, their aims. Despite of this no one can be without light. You are traveling in the evening through a dark, obscure night, and any moment you might loose your way. Somewhere in the far distance you see a small light. The only aim you have in this moment is this small light. You set off towards it. What will happen to you, if this light disappears instantaneously? You stop, surprised, and don't know in which direction to go. You stand and wait, perhaps the light would reappear. When it appears you start on your way again. Consequently the meaning of light, especially in a dark gloomy night, is the light which shines somewhere in the distant horizons. - What is the reason for the appearance and disappearance of the light? - It depends on the place or on the man, himself. If the path on which you are walking is not straight, the light will appear and disappear - there is an obstruction of the light in the human conscience. When you go up high the light shines and guides your way; when you descend, it gradually disappears. The same thing happens in the mental life of man, for which reason he at times loses then finds his ideal. You say: I lost my ideal. - You have not lost it, but the path you are following is hilly, you meet obstacles. When he comes down to the material, man loses his ideal. There is nothing more difficult for a conscientious man than to lose his ideal. He may live in abundance, be wealthy, but the minute he loses his ideal, his life also becomes meaningless. He will always feel emptiness, which cannot be filled by anything. These are states through which everyone passes.

 

And he said to him: "God, I am not worthy to receive you under my roof, but only say a word." Only one word the centurion wanted of Christ. I ask: What is it that improves man? What is important for you: What you think of me, or what other people think? The divine light and warmth, that living bread, that heavenly manna are important above everything. They descend to man, they create conditions for life in him. They ask me: What do I think of Christ? - What do I think of Christ? That men for two thousand years also think something of Christ. Open the books to see what they have written and write about Christ. They all debate who was Christ and whether he really was Son of God. Half of mankind are of one opinion, the other half of another. They keep convincing one another and cannot convince each other. The ones prove the question, and the others prove it, but there is something crooked in their proofs. What Christ brought into life, is the wise love, that is love in the divine life. Love is an attribute to every soul. Many interpreters of Christian teaching came along, but they could not reach the essential. They were concerned with his appearance, with what robe he was wearing, on what cross he was crucified, etc. Many even today wear this cross on their neck, especially in difficult times, when they go to war, when they are ill. Despite of this the cross does not help them, many soldiers died on the battle field. If they had accepted the love into themselves not one would have died.

 

"Only say a word." By "word" the centurion means the wisdom. His boy is ill. From what? Contemporary men don't they get ill? It seems strange to you, doesn't it? What more terrible illness is there than ignorance? Today people don't understand one another. - Why? - They are ill. Who will take care of these patients? It is necessary that reason comes among them. Our goal is to show people the true way of healing. They are in need of light, fresh air, clean water, and healthy food. These are four elements, which if correctly applied in the spiritual life, will solve all important problems. Today there exist various trends in life, which explain it from different points of view, in a different light. It is good for man to occupy himself with everything, but he has to solve the problems thoroughly. He has to base himself upon healthy, unshakable ground. When the night is dark and gloomy, he is in need of a small light, towards which he can strive. His direction has to be exactly determined. You also have to know that outside the intelligent love, life has no meaning. You have already experienced human love. Mothers bear children for years, but which mother is ever satisfied with her sons and daughters? Men have lived for their fathers land, have built great empires. This is the world, which they have built, but which empire satisfies this love? The empire is not able to satisfy love. This shows, that even now people are wandering in the illusions of life, far from the essential. This is the reason for the inner fear in man. Everyone is striving to get security by any means. According to me, the least should be thought about security. Intelligent people have no need to secure themselves. If all men would have lived according to the laws of God, there would be plenty for everyone. The earth is rich, it has available unexhaustable energies. It would completely take care of all the needs of the entire mankind. But the unwise human life has subdivided people into camps: the rich and the poor, the learned and the simple. There is actual difference between the learned and the simple, but I have met learned, lacking in right, sober mind, as well as those with healthy, positive mind.

 

"God, only say a word." You also find yourself in a hopeless situation, like that centurion. To whom will you turn? They will say that you are faint-hearted, that you seek help from outside. Which man does not need the help of the wise people? I have not met a man, who could solve his problems. Some pray to God, but they say of him that he is stupid. I say: He is stupid because he prays to God. But if he prays to a man like you, wouldn't he be stupid? This does not mean that you should not pray to a man. You will pray to your brother and he will pray to you. This is alright. It is better, before our brother prays to us to recognize his needs and to satisfy them.

 

Now you want to demand love and say to your fellow man - You must love me. - There is no law in the world which would regulate love. The only power in the world which is not subject to any laws, is the intelligent divine love. Everything in life which is meaningful, is the intelligent love. It makes men immortal. He who accepts love, enters into the frame of divine life, where everything is in harmony, where there is no death. By "death" I mean everything that limits human thought and emotion. In appearance, a person may be calm, to think himself free, but inwardly he torments himself. Someone outwardly is calm, but in his stomach something is gnawing him -inwardly he is restless. This pain may send him to the next world. The doctor diagnoses a tumor in his stomach and they have to operate. Is he sure that after the operation he will become healthy? Someone else has a tumor in his brain. Also him they have to operate. Is he sure that after they remove the tumor he will recover?

 

If the doctor tampers with his brain, all is ended for this man. He may remain alive, but he doesn't have the intelligence any longer. The doctors still continue to trespass into the sacred parts of man. They have tempered with his stomach, and his brain, and his eyes and his ears. There is not a secret place in the human organism that the doctors have not touched. And after that they speak of morals! Then they all inquire where is man. The human body is a house, but man is not in it. But there is one place where the doctors cannot reach. This is the holy temple of the human soul. When a man is operated on, the holy in him, that is his soul. When they crucified Christ, the divine, or His soul left Him, The divine spirit departed from Christ and left Him alone. Very naturally, they cannot crucify the divine. No one can touch it. It makes man strong, powerful. All men subordinate themselves to the divine beginning in them. For this it is said in the Scriptures that the hypocrite is divided in his path. - Why is this? The divine is not within him. Such a person speaks one thing and means another. He speaks of love, but conceals something covetous. This is not love. Love means unity in the whole life. Unity gives meaning to life. It makes it beautiful. When the musical tones are in unity they are also harmonious. Where there is unity in the thoughts, emotions and actions, there is harmony. If there was unity in the whole life, it would have had a different expression.

 

Two things hinder the human life; they have hindered him in the past and are doing so now. One of them is that people don't keep their promises - the faithfulness to God. The other one is that they don't follow their ideal. I will tell you a story from the egyptian history. At one time the Pharaoh Haki Bal wanted to test the faithfulness of his subjects. One evening he called in confidence one of his loyal subjects, Osiris Ben, and said to him: I want to place you temporarily in my place to rule the state without anyone suspecting this. You will rule the way you think best. You will have at your disposal, as you know, all my property. I ask: How many loyal subjects can one ruler have? If he lets one of them rule instead of himself, to leave at his disposal all his power and wealth, without misusing them, how would he behave? Osiris Ben acted wisely. After one year the king returned, and Osiris Ben handed him over everything in order. In the mind and in the heart of this loyal subject never occurred any thought or desire to usurp the royal throne. He stands even higher than his king. He says to himself: This position is not mine, it belongs to another. When Haki Bal took the throne over again he said to himself: I found one faithful man in this world. I can always count on him. And note that this ideal image of a genuine man is of the masculine sex.

 

Now I will bring to you another story, also from the egyptian history, which tells of an ideal woman - an egyptian. She lived in the time of Ramses Salu - an egyptian Pharaoh. Her name was Eltamar, she was the poorest girl in Egypt. But she was so noble, intelligent and beautiful, that she attracted the attention of the young Pharaoh, Ramses. He fell in love with her and wanted to marry her. She answered him: I would get married only to the most intelligent man, even if he were poor. In my eyes you don't pass for that intelligent. If I don't find such a man, I will stay unmarried. Such should be the ideal of the human soul. If you also were as loyal as Osiris Ben and as idealistic as Eltamar, the present day world would be completely different from what it is.

 

Today all speak about Christ, about His love, but what lies, and perverted things are written in the newspapers. The minute they hear something about me they are in a hurry to transmit it in a distorted way. Why do they have to misinterpret my words? -Because they understand them only superficially and mechanically. And in spite of all this they still continue to speak of Christ and God. We don't speak about God, but about love. Without love no one can understand God. When you love someone, you are ready to say sacrifices for him; you call him with the nicest names. If you don't like him, you are not prepared to any sacrifice, and don't see anything good in him. Only love disclosed things. This is the reason, why man errs in respect to love. Love cannot be bought with anything. If the girl wants to attract the boy with her appearance, she deceives herself. If the rich boy wants to attract the beautiful girl with his wealth, he deceives himself. If the learned man wants to appeal to you with his knowledge, and the saint with his virtues, both are on the wrong path. The only thing which can attract the person and to transform his life, is the great, intelligent love, which acts inside the man himself. It manifests itself through necessity, - the way of humanity's past, or through the present life, or through the future. The past is the law of necessity, the present of divine providence, and the future - of divine love. This means that the past, the present and the future are the three directions of love. In the law of necessity there is suffering. How many boys and girls are crippled by human love! How many young people you meet faces jealousy! How many hearts have been stabbed by the knife of jealousy! And this love is considered pure! No, in the law of necessity there is no real love. In order to come out of this love, you have to live in the present, where the divine providence is at work. In this love all people are members of one family; they are all under the protection of the divine spirit. From this love you will enter into the law of freedom, where all people, all living creatures, have equal right to life. Every living being has the right to live.

 

"Only say a word". These words, are not pronounced by a jew who observe the laws of Moses, but by a heathen, in whose heart there was light, who understood the great truth of life. You also have to understand Christ's teaching and follow it. You will apply it in three ways: through the law of necessity, the law of divine providence, and the law of freedom. You are, for instance, born into a Christian people. This is the faith of your father and your mother. Consequently, by necessity, you will also be a Christian. As a Christian you can see everywhere the divine providence. And finally you say: I will live like Christ, by the law of freedom. It is not enough just to understand Christ's teaching but to live by it. - How did Christ live? – He lived by the law of love and carried out the will of the Father. Christ says: I am ready to give my life for God and to carry out everything that He desires.

 

For two thousand years people talk about Christ, but until now the Christians are not united. Two thousand more years will pass and they still will not be united. The unification cannot happen automatically, the way hoops are tied around the cask. If there are no hoops to connect the boards of the cask, nothing can be done. While the hoops of the cask are in good condition, they tie it well. If they fall apart all the parts of the cask fall to pieces as well. Doesn't the same happen to people? The bones are their hoops. It is enough that they get scattered on the face of the earth and nothing will remain of them. How many delicate fingers of young people are scattered around the earth! You say: We have to strive towards good life. Who will help us in this? You will say that Christianity is able to help us in this. - Why? -Because it excludes death. Immortality can be achieved only through the way of love. If a feeling for revenge is born in you, or you hate someone, it is the same thing as if you were poisoning yourself, or suffer from leprosy, which eats away your life. In the middle ages the alchemists sought to discover the elixir of life, with which they could prolong their lives. There is no power, greater and more powerful than love. It gives birth to life and prolongs it; it brings peace to man. If love does not work equally in all men it is not the real love. When you know this, don't think that love will come through one person only. Actually, one man brought it but all men will preach it. Nowadays people go to church for the "Resurrection of Christ", with burning candles, and wait for the priest to say "Christ is resurrected". So when the angels say: "Christ is resurrected" you also have to light your candles. The burning candle is the divine spirit. When He comes to earth, when the human heart accepts the divine in him, only then you can light your candles. This is still required now from all the Christian nations.

 

When I speak of life, I don't deny it in its perfect manifestations. I don't say, that he who has acquired love, shouldn't occupy himself with science, music, art. Ho, he will study and understand everything with ease. In the divine love there is music of love, science of love, art of love. I have been asked often what is the teaching, which I preach. I reply: It is the teaching about the living nature, which includes in itself all living powers, with which science is concerned. It is the science of man, the science of intelligence in the world. It is the science of God, of love. The new teaching includes everything, which is a subject life and of nature. That's why if I say something, whether about medicine, music, art or any other field of science, there will always be someone who will feel insulted. The doctor will say, is this teaching higher then medicine? According to me the doctor should know much more than what he is practicing. - When will he learn it? - When he becomes student of the living nature. Few doctors study the living nature. You will say: When have there been no doctors? And they still don't know the living nature. Yes, from time immemorial there have been doctors. Those who are connected with the living nature, are born doctors. They come with ready knowledge. The same applies to scientists; astronomers, naturalists, mathematicians. Man has to start with what is originally put in his soul; and be true to those abilities, vested into him. With this knowledge man will study himself, the living nature, and love. Who studies in this way, he is on the right path. When you meet such a person you will right away get along with him; neither one of you will have to speak too much to understand one another. Does the good painter have to tell you how he paints? It is sufficient if you see how he uses the brush in order that you understand his art.

 

You enjoy to look how this painter is painting. It is agreeable for you to listen to the clean and gentle sounds if an experienced violinist is playing. But if you hear the bow squeaking in the hand of another violinist, you block your ears and run away. - Why don't you stay and listen? - He doesn't play clean tones. After four-five years, when he learns how to play, I will listen to him. There are wise people in the world, but they also don't reason correctly. And the people after living two thousand years after Christ, dare to ask me if I believe in God. How shouldn't I believe in God, I live in Him. - And you believe in love? - If I live in God, naturally, I believe also in love. - What else do you believe in? - I believe in man. - And what else? - I believe in the living nature. - Do you believe in anything else? - I don't know what else one could believe in. If I tell you that I believe in anything else, I will be telling you a lie. Outside the truth everything is a lie. There is no lie in the world which cannot be detected. A Bulgarian proverb says: "The legs of the lie are short". Which man was ever ennobled by lying? What has the lie contributed to man? The truth raises people and the lie degrades them.

 

There is one law, which excludes violence, and ennobles man. They say of me that I hypnotize people. This is strange! Hypnosis is violence, and I preach love, which excludes all violence, all hypnosis. If it is true that I hypnotize, I would have first hypnotized those who speak against me. And as you can see, they are free to speak against me, whatever they wish. What would they speak about me? I leave people free, because I serve love.

 

Many say, that we occupy ourselves with spirits. What is bad in spirits? All people on earth are embodied spirits, coming from God. By "spirit" I mean, the intelligent beginning of man. They say about us that we call spirits. They asked one woman how she calls the spirits. She answered: I throw a rope in the air, and I catch a spirit onto it. - No, this is not the correct way, the woman was only jesting. Our brothers, the bodyless spirits, come to us by the law of love. It is sufficient that you like them, and they would come to you. It is said in the Scriptures: Call God, who is a spirit, through the law of love. When you turn to God, to the great spirit, He will right away respond to you. Without God there are no thoughts, no feelings, no deeds. Thanks to Him, our life gets straightened out. Love - is the base on which we step, the foundation of our life. Others reproach us that we are against the church, against the state. This is not so. We quote the verse: "Every power is given by God". You will say that you also respect the state. If this is so they will test you in this respect. - How would they test us? - The way they test the professor, when he wants to be given a chair in the university. Before he is accepted, he has to present a degree as well as his scientific work. The color also has its own distinguishing marks. Likewise the state you honor has to have some distinguishing marks showing that it has its power from God. I have said time and again: There exists only one state in the world - the divine state, and you have to subject yourself to it.

 

In the Lord's prayer it is said: "For Your's is the Kingdom and Power, forever." Read the seventh chapter of Daniel, where it is said: "God raises nations. He gives them power to govern." But we are not concerned with the nations. We are interested in love, because it solves all problems and all contradictions. When some don't understand love, they say: This one man is a warrior, he makes use of a weapon. - What is the role of the warrior? According to me, his role is to preserve order in life. It is by chance that he fought. What is the role of the doctor? - To teach people the laws that would stipulate their health and good life. That a disease has appeared and the doctor has to occupy himself with it, this is also by chance. The healing and fighting are accidental. The doctor, as well as the warrior are fighting with enemies they meet on their way. Life is not based on chances, but on love. Put love into your life in order to solve all your problems.

 

"Only say a word, and my boy will get healed". The centurion understood, that the wise word of Christ will have effect on the boy and will heal him. It is proved statistically, that diseases appear and disappear periodically. It is predetermined how many sick will recover and how many will not. For each year it is calculated how many ships will sink, how many houses will burn down, how many children will be born, how many people will die. These numbers increase gradually within a twenty year period, after which they begin to decrease. There is a law, by which events happen periodically. - Why do the ships sink? - Because they didn't take into consideration certain things. - Why do the houses turn down? - Because certain precautionary measures were not taken. All disasters are due to violation of certain laws. The deceased show, that people don't abide by the law of love. It is said: "The day you eat from the forbidden fruit you will necessarily die." That means, before this law was violated, death didn't exist. Death came because first human beings disobeyed. They didn't obey God's law. So, where love is absent, there is violation of God's laws. This is the reason for the inner emptiness that people feel. Doubt and distrust spread where love is absent. You listen to someone speak and you ask yourself: Is he speaking the truth or not? Everyone can tell who speaks the truth. There is nothing hidden/covered in the world. Men as well as animals have the ability to test things.

 

The great truth, toward which we are striving is not only for men but for all living creatures. At the present conditions of life, two things are required from man: love and reason. The wise man easily makes friends. It is sufficient for him to pardon the debts of his debtors, to make them his friends. But the unwise, sacrifices the higher for the baser. He takes his debtors to court, get them sentenced and so creates for himself enemies. If you let life develop wisely and naturally, you will gain deep inner peace within you. Some try to prove whether God exists or not. What is the use of such a proof. Whatever you prove, God exists. Imagine that you are proving to a blind man, that God exists and there are blessings on earth.

 

What is the use of these blessings, if you don't have senses with which you could perceive them? You tell the blind man that there is light but he doesn't see it. What does the blind need? - To develop his sight. I am not speaking only of the outer senses. If it is only a question of them, how will you perceive the divine love? How will you feel the divine blessings? In man there is one special sense, a special feeling through which he can perceive the divine love and the divine blessings. This sense is not equally developed in all people. This is the reason why, when you talk to someone about God, he either doesn't understand anything or understands something else. When the divine sense becomes developed in man, he will perceive divine love and strength in himself and will become immortal. Christ says: "In the last days I will resurrect him." - When will these last days come? - When this sense blossoms like the bud of the solar light, you will make the first inhalation and thus you will acquire divine life. Until he blossoms, man is in the position of the small child in the womb of his mother. When it leaves the womb and makes the first inhalation, it blossoms. If a child is born and it doesn't start crying, it is dead. It must make the first inhalation, so that reaction would happen within it and so it would begin the new life. The conscience of man is hidden in the first breath.

 

When I speak to people about divine love, they ask me: Did you talk with Christ, did you talk with God? - People are strange! If I tell them that I did, they will say that I am not in my right mind. How will you understand the words of Christ, then who says: "Go and preach my word, and I will be with you till the end of time." In another place he says: "If you abide in me and carry out toy commands, I and my Father will come and dwell in you." So, life in itself is not something real; it is manifestation of the divine spirit. In this sense all people have to become spiritual, to acquire divine happiness, divine intelligence; to understand the living nature; to enter the divine life. Only this way, will the life of the contemporary man become transformed.

 

Since they don't understand the meaning of life, people poison themselves. There is no stronger poison then negative thoughts, feelings and states of man. Fear, hatred, suspicion, doubt, are such poison. They are sediments, which settle in the blood and poison it. Can man be healthy under such conditions. He is in need of inner transformation, of new, pure surroundings. When he enters into this environment there he will find the true rest. This environment is the divine love. In it man feels free and is bothered by no one. What greater blessing exists then to live in the divine environment, to be able to converse with God; to carry out his will. What is there greater then to live with sensible beings; to understand the intelligent nature, and it to give you answers.

 

Today everyone is asking, what is the sense of life. - To live in harmony with the live nature; to live in harmony with sensible beings; to live in harmony with the God of love - this is the sense of life.

 

4th Lecture of the Master from the volume 'He Who Comes to Me', held on Sunday 6th of April, 1924, in Sofia

 

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[1] St. Matthew 8:8

 

 

Only Say the Word