1933_09_02 The Last Blow

[Jackline Spasova-Bobeva]

The Last Blow

 

Luke 4 ch.

 

There is a dark side in the human life, which has been under, solution for thousands of years and it still remains unsolved to this very day. This dark side refers to the trials in life. All men ask: Why are there trials in life? Can we not do without them? Which people are tried? Only the strong, not the weak, the enlightened, not the ignorant. On the whole, the weak and ignorant people have the least trials. Therefore, only those who do not understand the laws and order of nature, can ask the question why there exist trials in life. This shows, that these people have a peculiar conception of life. They want to be happy, not knowing wherein happiness lies. It is the same if you seek the truth without knowing what truth is. The truth makes man free. He who obtains the truth becomes free. He who does not understand the truth, constantly meets with contradictions in his life. To establish a fact is not the truth. Why? Because after you have established the fact, you still meet with contradictions in life and are not free.

 

People today are dissatisfied with the order which exists in nature. I say: this question can be solved very easily. How? Let all who are dissatisfied with the present world, as well as with the order of nature, give their own better and more rational plan. Since thousands of years the invisible world has given freedom to all who are discontented with the laws and order in the world to give their own project. If that project proves better, they will apply it on the earth, in order that all men might benefit by it. He who wants-to correct Nature must, by all means, be wiser than her. An ignoramus can not correct a famous violinist. He who wants to correct some famous violinist, must, by all means, know how to play better than him. In this respect, Christ was one of the wisest and most enlightened parsons. He was initiated into a science still closed for people today. And in that state as a son of God, Christ passed through great trials. What need did He have of fasting 40 days in the wilderness? Christ made an experiment to see how many days a man can live without food. During those 40 days He lived only on the Sacred bread - the Word of God. When the devil tempted him, he said to Him: "If you are the Son God tell this stone to become bread!" Christ answered him: "It is written that man shall not live by broad alone, but by every Word of God." People are afraid when an ill person does not eat, or a healthy man eats little. They begin to advise him to eat more and to use more fat foods. They recommend to him roasted or boiled chicken, or chicken soup with a larger amount of butter. Today people deceive themselves by thinking that fat food or meat will contribute much to their general well-being. However, that is not true, for the foreign elements to your body always remain foreign to it. The life of the other living beings belongs to them and not to man. Man has no right to dispose of the life of the other living beings. - But How and what shall we eat then? By the word ‘food’ in a broad sense, I understand the Divine. In this respect, only the Divine can serve as food for man. Outside of It, all other things are foreign properties which man has no right to dispose of. Thus, he who uses as food something which is not Divine, stores in his organism certain poisons. -The foreign elements entering an organism leave their poison. All sufferings and contradictions in life are due to these elements in the human organism. The problem of man is to rid his organism of all foreign elements. Only the Divine must regain in his organism. As soon as that which is foreign to man goes out of him and only the Divine remains, his face brightens up and his will assumes its normal condition. So long as man is disturbed, he has foreign elements in his heart. So long as he thinks one thing today and another tomorrow, he has foreign elements in his mind. It is not important to know who has deposited these elements in him; the important question is for him to rid and clean himself of them. May be his grandmother, or his grandfather have injected him with these elements - that is not important, however. He should clean and free himself of them, that is his work.

 

I say: you need a positive science which can introduce you to the essence of life, not to the illusory and transitory things in life. The transitory things always bring suffering and unhappiness to people. Suffering is caused by the fact that these things are easily lost. Therefore, one can not rely on them. For instance, you expect to receive an inheritance, but you are on the wrong path. If you expect a saint to pray for you - you are wrong. If you expect other people to plough your field, but you only to gather in the wheat, you are on the wrong path. If you want to enter the right way, you should start to work and rely on yourself. For this reason, you must regard life as a whole. Man must find his place in this whole and accomplish his work within it without hindering the other organs of life in the performance of their work. The leaf of a tree must not meddle with the work of the other leaves. Every leaf of the tree has its definite place and work. Apparently, all the leaves of the tree fulfill one and the same function, but in reality that is not true. There is no monotony in nature. When life becomes monotonous, it shows that people meddle in the affairs of each other. For example, someone asks why God has created the ox with horns on his head and hoofs on his feet. The man asks why he was created a man. According to me, the woman even till this day do not know whether they are women; the men also do not know whether they are men or not. Only to think they are men or women is one thins, but to know that positively, is another thing. The woman is discontented with her state that she was created woman. The woman is a great power. Should she be discontented with her state at that? The woman is an image of the Divine Love. If she does not bear that image within herself, she is not a woman. Such a woman can not understand life. You say: There is nothing to understand about life. Life is a struggle. — No, life is not a struggle, by any means. And there is no reason for man to fight and struggle in life. If he does that, a stronger one than him will come against him and knock him down. There is not a hero in the history of humanity who has not been conquered. Even the greatest heroes have been conquered in the end and have died. Every hero has a monument on which we read the inscription: Here lie one of the great heroes of the world. I say: those men are heroes, but they are not real heroes.

 

Therefore, do not regret the loss of transitory things. - But we lost our love. - Do not regret that love which can be lost. That love is the hero who dies. One can not rely upon such a hero. Someone says: Once upon, a time my heart burned with love, but today my love has died. Love which sets the heart on fire and then dies, love which springs forth and then dies up, is superficial. If you become inspired and say that you are ready to do all things for the Lord, but give up your idea on the very next day, what sort of love is that? Peter also said to Christ that his love is unwavering and that he will never leave Him, that he is ready to defend Him with the sword, but he did not hold out to the end. Until the cock crew twice, he thrice denied Christ. After that, Peter realized his mistake, repented and wept bitterly. He saw his weakness and realized wherein lies the heroism of man. Where fear exists, heroism can not thrive.

 

Therefore, the first tack of man is to become free of that inner, unnatural fear he has within himself. The only fear which is in its right place, is the fear man must have of losing his (ability to) love. It is a sacred fear. As soon as man loses his (capability to) love, he ends his life - all is finished with him. There is nothing else about which man must fear in life. All other fear is of no use. One may be afraid to die of hunger, or of losing his house or reputation, or his position in life, etc, However, all these things which cause fear in people are temporary and one must not be engaged with them too long. If you believe in God who has created you, there is no reason for you to cry and to despair, for you will never die of hunger and desolation. In the whole world there are spiritually advanced brothers who will never leave you alone.

 

I say, no matter into what state you may fall in life, take example from the prodigal son. After he had squandered all his money eating and drinking, he was forced to feed the swine, for he was not capable of doing any other work. What do the swine- symbolize? If you, from morning till night occupy yourself with negative thoughts and desires and with your sorrows, is not that the same as feeding swine? What must you do in such a case? Find a way to free yourself from that occupation. The swine are greedy animals. They ate up everything and did not leave even acorns for the prodigal son to eat.

 

 

 

After great sufferings, the consciousness of that son was aroused, he repented and said humbly: My father has so many servants who work for him and he feeds them. I shall also go to him as the least of his servants. There is no reason for me to stay in this foreign land, among people who do not love me. And truly, the negative thoughts and feelings of man can not have love towards him. In that state man can not live among beings who do not love him. The sufferings and misfortunes of people are due to the fact that they want to live in an environment in which love does not function. But why this is so, is not a question for discussion.

 

In ancient times the disciple of a Hindu teacher went to him to ask him for some rules in life. The teacher answered him: you must go to the cemetery and from grave to grave tell the dead the best things which will come into your mind. Then come to tell me what they have told you. The disciple went to the cemetery and spoke the finest things to the dead: that they are great people, saints, that they have done much for humanity etc. Then he strained his ears to hear some answer, but no voice could be heard. After returning to his teacher, ha told him what he had done. The teacher answered him: Now you should go to the dead to tell them the worst things possible, and see what they will answer you. The disciple went to the dead and told them the worst things. Upon returning to his teacher he said: Again there was no voice whatever. Then his teacher told him: "If you want to understand the meaning of life, learn a lesson from the dead - when they praise you and when they blame you, when you are happy and when you are unhappy - never say a word about it!

 

I say: All people have the weakness to find some one when they suffer and to tell him about it, thinking that will relieve them. When fortune visits them, again they seek someone to share their joy with. Do you know what these people can be compared to? They are like those rubber balls or rubber dolls with which children play. Those rubber balls have in the middle a small opening and when they squeeze the ball it gives a sound. The children are amused by these balls, press them and make then produce the sound. In the same way when suffering presses you, you utter a sound and begin to complain before people that a great misfortune has befallen you: I say: if you can examine suffering from a scientific point of view to see what lies hidden in it, it loses its sense for you. If you examine suffering calmly, you will see that there are reflex sufferings and direct sufferings which have relation to that special man himself. Reflex suffering, for instance is that tension and fear which you feel while watching a rope-walker perform different stunts. He walks on the rope without any fear, with absolute self-assurance and says: This is an art! But you who observe him are tense and full of fear that he may fall or lose his balance. And after you go out of this circus you say: - How I suffered for those people! I ask you: if that acrobat walks on the rope calmly, courageously with a perfect self-assurance, without fear, can you not, who believe in God, have as much courage and faith as he has? He who does not understand life will say about the acrobat: See by what means that scamp earns his living! If I where in your place, I would say, on the contrary: Behold a bold and resolute man! He has no faith in God, but only relying upon himself, he risks his life. Yet, I, who believe in God, am afraid even to voice my opinion, for fear people might think something bad about me. You, who believe in God, pray three times a day, yet even your own shadow frightens you, a dead man or bad dreams disturb you! What sort of faith is that which can not help you deal even with the smallest adversity?

 

Man has come to the earth to study. If he walks in the right way there is no reason for him to be afraid. What is there to fear in a bad dream? A sister from Tirnovo once told me one of her dreams: "I dreamt that my mother came to me and without saying anything, took a jug and gave me a blow on the head with it. The jug fell on the ground and broke into many pieces, while a certain yellow liquid substance started to flow from by head. I said: How strange! Could not my mother tell me a kind word which would make me happy, instead of breaking my head with a jug? Upon getting up in the morning what did I notice? My consciousness was awakened and I began to regard and study my life in a very different light. I saw my mistakes and was aware of a certain diversion from the right path of life. Thus I decided to return to the path God had drawn for me. I realized that the jug gave me a good lesson. It was an object lesson given to me by the invisible world which meant: If you continue to walk in the old way of life your head like this jug will be broken into pieces."

 

Therefore, man must not be a jug in the hands of fate which can break into pieces by a single blow. Does the jug gain anything by breaking? No, on the contrary, it loses something. However, the head of man gains something, for one begins to think and to see the mistakes in his life. When a jug breaks, take a lesson from that and be grateful that it broke instead of your head. After you break it, you will buy a new and better jug than the first one. You must be careful in life not to break your head like that jug. Thus, whatever misfortune comes to you, learn a lesson from it. Know that there are no casualties in nature. Every suffering or trial in its place, will bring enormous wealth in the future to those who understand it. If you survey the history of human evolution, you will see that this is the way toward the attainment of perfection. A great future lies ahead of man, for that reason he must study. The earth is a great school, a great university where the men have come to study. Christ also spent 33 years in this university. After He passed His final examination, He returned to heaven where He took the place assigned to Him. That is why Christ said to his disciples: "All power has been given to me in heaven and on earth." Another time He said: "Go ye, also, to preach and spread my teaching."

 

I ask you: should you be afraid, if you believe in Christ? He said Himself that all power was given to Him in heaven and on earth. Christ passed through great sufferings until He obtained that power. He carried His cross up to a certain place then He put it down by which He wanted to say: This is as far as I will carry your cross, from here on, I leave it for you to carry. I say: if there is something to marvel at, in the life of Christ, it is not the great suffering He passed through, but His unequaled endurance. In the face of Christ we see a soul which endured great contradictions. That endurance is worthy of imitation. He said: "I must fulfill the will of God no matter what comes!" This is character! Then He continued: "Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit. Let Thy will be done!" I ask you: was Christ deceived in His faith? The One who had created Him, to Whom He had devoted His life and in Whom He believed, raised Him up. And after two thousand years, 500 millions of people walk in His path and work with Him. A day will come, when those who have not believed in Christ will follow Him also. Should you be afraid after all that? People today are afraid like the young maidens who are in love. The young maiden is always on pins and needles - she decks herself up and her heart constantly trembles: - What if my beloved forsake me? - What shall become of me, if he finds another more beautiful maiden than me? Then she throws away the flowers from her hair and become discouraged. But later she becomes gay again, she puts on her flowers and forgets her fear. At noon, the temptation comes again: But what if he forsakes me? If he finds a prettier girl than me? That which the young maiden experiences is just what you experience. You say: What shall I do, if God forsake me? Will He always occupy Himself with me? It says in the Scripture: "I inscribed your names in my palm." And really, in what better place can man's name be inscribed than on the palm of God? It is enough for God to look at His palm in order to see your name written there.

 

Thus, at the present time, as well as in the past, there is need of heroes. Heroism, not faint-heartedness, is required of people. Work and not vain talking is required of people. The Turks have a proverb: "Many words at the mill." And really, the mill makes much noise. Its noise is greater than the work it performs. However, the last place of the mill is in the fire. They will chop it up and put it in the fire. The mill-stone is also doomed to self-destruction. In general, the grinding of wheat at the mill does not represent an ideal for man. In the future, the wheat will not pass through such trials as it does today. People today grind the wheat and turn it into flour; then they knead it and make bread of it, which they eat after it is well-baked in the oven. Thus, the wheat undergoes certain trials until it becomes bread.

 

 

 

I say: as you see, the trials and contradictions are necessary in the present life. They are a privilege for the man who understands them. Man can not draw near to God without trials. The greater they are, the nearer man draws to God. If man has not experienced poverty, faithlessness, hopelessness, lovelessness, evil and darkness in life, he could never approach God and know Him. Only through trials can he understand what real love, hate and hope represent. Only in this way can he understand that love is stronger than lovelessness, hell and death; faith is stronger than faithlessness; hope is stronger than hopelessness; good is stronger than evil. It says in the Scripture: "One righteous man will pursue a thousand sinners, two righteous men will pursue ten thousand sinful men." That means that the strength of one righteous man is equal to that of thousand sinful men, while the strength of two righteous men is equal to that of ten thousand sinners. Therefore, if you are an upright man and meet a bear in the forest, do not run away from it, but rather stop it, take it by the ear and begin to talk with it. There is an example of this kind in the Scripture in the person of David who had fought with a bear and a lion and who finally fought with Goliath. Saul said to him: "Thou art not able to fight with Goliath, because thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. But David said to Saul: "The servant was keeping his father's sheep; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth; and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. The servant smote both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them." I say: he who has fought with a lion or with a bear can easily deal with a man also.

 

You often, consider yourself weak. Yes, you are weak in one respect -in love. The power of men is determined by the quality of his love; the power of man is determined by the quality of his knowledge; the power of man is determined by the quality of his will. Therefore, he who has not come to know the Divine Love, the Divine knowledge and the Divine will, is a feeble man. When man is outside of the power of love, he is weak. When Christ was fasting 40 days in the wilderness, He was led to a mountain by the Spirit where His love was tested. And really Satan came and began to test Him by saying: "Behold, all these kingdoms are mine. If you bow before me, I shall give them to you." Christ answered: "My kingdom is not of this world." If one of these kingdoms were offered to a man of today, to become say, prime-minister of Bulgaria, he would immediately give up his creed.

 

For the affirmation of this thought, I shall tell you the following story. In the first days of Christianity, there lived a saint and a stone-cutter in the region of Alexandria. The saint made baskets and on his way to the city where he sold them, he passed by the hut of the stone-cutter who greeted him every time and invited him in his home to rest. After that he washed the feet of his guest and gave him to eat whatever he had to offer him. The saint was very pleased with the way that stone-cutter treated him. One day he turned to God with the words: “God, this stone-cutter does so much for me, he is a good and a honest men, but he is very poor also, for he works from morning till night and barely earns a living. I pray Thee, help him to become a little richer and to live like other people”. After he had prayed three times for him, an angel came and said to him: “Your wish to change the fate of this men is good, but he is not ready yet for a different position. If wealth be given him, he will become a bad man.” – “I think, on the contrary, that if wealth he given him, he will become better.” (Said the saint.) – “Let it be according to your wish”! (Replied the Angel.) “Go and tell the stone-cutter that in a certain place lies hidden a great treasure. Let him dig it up and dispose of it as he finds best”. The saint went to the stone-cutter and told him all the angel had said. The stone-cutter dug up the gold and immediately had a big house built in the city of Alexandria. He began to live luxuriously and soon become famous throughout the whole region. After that they made him first lord of the region. When the saint went to the city, the stone-cutter did not invite him in anymore, because he was busy with other affairs. One day the saint went to his home, but the stone-cutter pretended not to know him. – “Do you not know me?” – “No, I do not. Go your way. I have no business with man like you”. The saint continue on his way, but quite anxious, since he had realized that things were going from bad to worse. The angel met him on the way and said to him: “Do you see what you did? Did you now understand that the man was not ready for better conditions?” After that the angel caught him by the neck, gave him a good beating and said: “remember well what it means to change the fate of people!”

 

After seeing his mistake, the saint turned a second time to God with a petition to restore the original state of the stone-cutter and for himself to be given a chance to correct his mistake. This time also God heard the prayer of the saint. A great persecution had arisen against the stone-cutter in his role of a lord: suspicions, black-mailing, dismissals etc. He lost his social position and his riches and remained without a house and without money. When he saw himself in such a desperate condition, he took his tool again and started his stone cutting. Whenever the saint passed by him, he welcomed him in, rendered him services and excused himself for having been so careless towards him while being lord. – “I do not know what devil had taken possession of me that I did not welcome you into my house! I knew you very well, but was afraid of what people would say upon seeing I had dealings with such a poor man”. The saint smiled and said: - “Never mind”. Was not this affair settled well? After a few years the stone-cutter said to the saint again: -“Pray for me that I may become rich again.” – “No! I do not want to pray for you a second time. I do not want to be beaten anymore. Certainly you can have a better position than the present one”. Thus, the stone-cutter continued to cut stones.

 

I say: every man makes these stones and must cut them himself. These stones are necessary building material out of which man must, make his house. These stones are not to be sold, but rather to be cut and polished. What do the stores represent? They are those rude thoughts, feelings, acts and traits in the character of man which must be cultivated. Herein lies the inner meaning, the inner work of man. One day when we will have polished these atones, God will be satisfied with our life and we shall be contented. This does not mean that man can become learned or a saint in a very short period of time. Knowledge, talents and abilities are gradually attained. Therein lies the beauty of life. Sometimes people wish to become learned, rich, saintly and talented at once. I say: there does not exist such an order in the world. There is a certain correspondence between the great and the small: the small wealth, the small knowledge, the small thoughts and feelings which visit you, cost more than the great riches and knowledge. - When? When you retain them and cultivate them within yourself.

 

Now I shall give you an explanation of this idea. Imagine that you have a bottle or a vase made of some precious stone or diamond. This vase may be full of pure water, or it may be full of some poison or acid. The bottle itself may cost millions of sterling gold, but of what use can it be to you when it is full of poison? In case it is full of pure water, its price is greater. And inversely: you may have a pot made of clay, but full of crystal water. In case of thirst, the simple pot of pure water is preferable to the diamond bottle full of poison, I ask you: of what profit are your external riches, if you bear within yourself poison which is constantly gnawing you? The bodies of people today are not made of diamond, nor of a matter similar to precious stones, consequently they sin. A day will come when their bodies will be made of pure, fine matter like that of saints and angels, and they will not sin. It says in the Scripture: "He who is born of God does not sin." Only the man who has passed through all the phases of human development and has reached a state of complete stability, is born of God. Nothing in the world can draw him away from his right conception of life.

 

The apostle Paul says: "Nothing in the world can separate us from the Love of Christ." Yes, nothing in the world has power to separate man from the love of God. If someone wants to know what heaven is like, I say: heaven is a place of love, of knowledge and of good acts. He who enters into heaven has theno problem to manifest his love, his knowledge and his good acts. Since the inhabitants of heaven live in perfect harmony, they have need of nothing. If someone there has a temporary need of something, they all unite in helping him. The happiness of people depends upon their uniting together. If their consciousness awakes and they desire to receive and manifest love, all will be settled rightly. Only love is able to solve all the problems of life. But this love must not penetrate only the soul of one person, or one nation but of all nations on the face of the earth. When love manifests itself in the soul of a mother, she will love all children as her own. This is what true motherhood means! When a mother loves only her own children, it shows that her love is still at the animal stage, or at the most - at the human stage of development. That mother has not yet come to the state to love all children as God loves them. You say: how can a mother love all children as her own? - If she can not love in this way, she is not a mother. How can we love all nations as our own? - If you can not love in this manner, you have not any love. I ask you: what is your love for God, if you love only one person, or if you do not love everything He has created? Why do you love a certain person? You will say that you like certain things in him, that is why you love him. I ask you: would you love that man, if his love did not hold out?

 

A young count once fell in love with a young, beautiful German lady and often paid her visits, taking to her as a token of his love all sorts of gifts and flowers. Their relations came almost to the point of marriage. One evening they decided to take a walk around the city, but in order to do that, they had to pass across a near-by river in a boat. The servant rowed the boat and they reached the other bank safely. But just as they got out of the boat, several robbers ran against them who had waited for booty in the near-by forest. The count succeeded in escaping, but; the robbers, encouraged by his flight, attacked the lady all the more forcibly, in order to take from her all the money and jewels they could find. She started to cry and to defend herself, seeking the count with her eyes, that he might help her, but she remained bitterly disappointed when she saw that he had taken to flight, leaving her alone. However, the servant who had followed her, came immediately to her aid. He gave a heavy blow with his fist to the one rubber, then another blow in the face of the other and chased them away. Then he accompanied his mistress to her home. On the next day, the count went to the house of his fiancée with a bouquet in his hand to congratulate her on her safe escape, but she answered him: “Please, do not come a second time to my home!” I ask you: what must be your character - like that of the count or of the servant? One must have the character of the loyal servant, who can come to your aid in the most critical moment of your life.

 

I ask you: if in a given case you can not take the side of Truth, of Wisdom and Love, wherein lies your dignity as a man? What will recommend you when you go to heaven? The inhabitants of heaven are distinguished by their great patience. Contemporary religious and spiritual people can not tolerate one another and constantly complain of offences, but in spite of that, they hope to go to heaven and to be met their with music and songs. When they go to heaven they will complain there too, about the wickedness of men on earth. However, you must know that no complaints, whatever, are permitted in heaven. There all beings live only in love.

 

Now you all must endeavor towards an inner life. Only in this way can you stand firm through all the adversities and contradictions in life. You all have contradictions, but you are also given the possibility to solve them. There are occasions where you must be silent. It is an art to be able to keep within yourself your sorrow so that no one would even suspect it. When man is sorrowful, he must think. What must he think about? He must think about all the people who are sorrowful. There are people more sorrowful then him. If he is poor let him think that there are people poorer than him. If he is rich let him think about the rich people who, just like him, have not fulfilled the will of God. In his sorrow, in his poverty and in the state of a rich man, one must fulfill the will of God. What does the fountain do? It cleans up everything on its way. At first it forms mud, however after it has poured its water for several years, it cleans up all the place around it. The upright man is like a fountain: he cleans up everything on his way.

 

Therefore, do not become discouraged, because of your difficulties! Christ was not discouraged; the upright men and the saints did not become discouraged. In the same way, you must not become discouraged. When I turn on my radio, I constantly hear murmuring and complaining: the woman complains that her husband does not love her; the man complains that his wife does not love him; the son complains that his father does not love him; the students complain that their teachers do not love them. A strange thing indeed! The sky, the stars and the sun - everything loves you. What greater love do you want? You are enveloped by love and yet you seek the shadow of love. Why do you not appreciate the love which you have, but seek some other love? If you want me to love you, I will say: Look at the sun! Then I shall take you to a pear-tree and say: Take a ripe pear! Then I shall take you to a shop and say: Choose for yourself a nice suit of clothes! - But who will pay for it? - When Christ sent His disciples to the village to take the colt, did anyone pay for it? You say that everything in the world belongs to God, yet when it comes to the application of this, you do not think in this way. You must have the deep sacred faith that everything in the world belongs to God, but not to use this idea only for your own good. The benisons of God are for all people. All men must profit equally by them.

 

I say: we must all live for the One Who loves us. If we live for Him, we shall love one another. If we do not live for Him, we can not love one another. Therefore, if we live for God Who is in us, we shall love and understand Him and along with that, we shall love and understand one another. It we understand the Love of God in us, we shell understand all the other manifestations of love. Once we understand those things, all the goods will come to us. Therefore, kindle, first of all, the Sacred Fire in your own hearth! Take some coal and start the fire in your hearth! Do not take coal from your neighbors! As soon as you start the Stacked fire in your hearth, all love becomes meaningful. In that state, the love of the mother, of the friend and of the servant acquire sense and become comprehensible for you. The Divine Love gives meaning to all the manifestations of love. Feelings without love are of no use. Thoughts without love are of no use. They, resemble a beautiful, but dead body abandoned by its soul, i.e. by love. The Divine Love makes the feelings, thoughts and acts of people meaningful. Deposit this love deep within your soul and do not say anything about it. Your lips should be sealed with seven seals in regard to that love. Once one of the great adapts of Egypt was asked to say something about Love. He only pressed his lips and answered nothing. One can only be silent about the Divine Love. I have spoken much about Love, but not about the essence of Love. I have spoken only about the manifestations of love, but when I come to the essence of Divine Love I stop talking. Each time I come to the Divine Love I keep sacred silence. There is nothing more beautiful than that silence. It is a silence which speaks. When a rational man is silent, he is emanating something beautiful. The stove is also silent during the winter, but a pleasant heat emanates from it. The lighted candle is also silent, but it gives a soft light by which you read and study. The sun is also silent, but it emanates heat and light which give life to all beings.

 

When Christ was in the wilderness, Satan came to Him to tempt Him. He said to Him: "If Thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge over thee, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." But Christ answered him: "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God!” The Stones which you can climb upon are not the stones of the temple of God. The temple is within man himself and no one can climb upon it." Someone says that he has been to church - in the place of light. No, man can not be in the light, but the light can be in men. You say that you are in the White Brotherhood. This is also impossible. The White Brotherhood can be in man, but man can not be in the White Brotherhood. The White Brotherhood can enter and leave man, but man can not enter and leave the White Brotherhood. If the White Brotherhood enters into a person, he acquires a real understanding of life. If anyone thinks that he can enter the White Brotherhood, he is on the wrong path. The Spirit must enter into man and not man enter the Spirit. Christ says: "I abide in my Father." That means: Christ abides in the Divine Love and the Divine Love abides in Him. I say that you, also, must abide in the Divine Love, receive it and manifest it. May God also abide in you! Therein lies the power of man. If you abide in God and He in you, pray secretly in your soul. Do not become discouraged; no matter what trials you are passing through. Know that you will attain everything you desire. When? - This very day. If you fulfill the will of God you will receive today that which your soul desires. If your mother, father, brother and sister love you, you will never be in need of anything. If your teacher loves you, you will also never be in need. Why? Because God lives in you. In that state, everyone will fix his own lamps when they are damaged. He who denies God in himself, expects someone, from outside to came and put his inner installation in order.

 

Let us return now to the essential thing. You are all sent to the earth to work, to study and to become citizens of the Kingdom of God. You are sent here with the confidence that you will fulfill your mission as it ought to be fulfilled. God has endowed you with an excellent body, a sound mind, a noble heart and a strong will, and you are, obliged to preserve these qualities. God has endowed you, moreover, with a powerful spirit and a great soul, as a recompense of which, you must voluntarily, out of love, fulfill his will. When you realize this fact, you must say: "We will work in the way all awakened souls in the world are working for the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth." A call for work is sent forth to all the awakened souls. Everyone must desire the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth! Everyone must desire to fulfill the Will of God on earth! Everyone must stand on the side of Love and desire the coming of the Eternal life. Everyone must stand on the side of Wisdom and desire the coming of light and knowledge! Everyone must desire the attainment of freedom! Only in this way can you become transmitters of the Divine and overcome all difficulties.

 

You ask: Why do difficulties come? Difficulties are a necessity, in order that the human will may become inured and fortified. How can the will of man be fortified? By perseverance. For instance, you are given a hard stone to break into pieces. You take the hammer and give it a blow, but the stone does not break. I say: Continue to hit the stone, it will break up into pieces. You hit it ten, a hundred, two hundred times, but still the-stone does not break. You become discouraged and put the hammer away. - Take it again and give the stone one more blow! You do it again - once, twice, three times. - Give it one more blow! You take the hammer - the last blow! and the stone breaks. I say: The last blow will break the stone and the Kingdom of God will come on the earth.

 

2. Congress talk given by the Master on September the 2nd, 1933

 

Izgrev. – Sofia.

 

 

The Last Blow