Wisdom

 

One of the wise elders was walking with a young man who was sincerely seeking the Truth. He said to the wise one, “Sir, you almost always seem so peaceful and serene. How is it that you maintain this state of being?” The wise one responded “Because I know, in the fullness of my being, that there is no higher perfection than the perfection of the universe, just as it is in this moment.” After a pause, the seeker said “But sir, children are dying of starvation, men are killing each other for no rational purpose, people are abandoning their families, there is corruption in politics, and even in the Church! How can this be perfect?”

The wise one replied with an air of deep concern, “All those tribulations and sufferings, and many more besides, are being allowed by a conscious Source Who is characterized by a greater Love than the human mind can grasp, as well as infinite Power and Wisdom—all clearly evident in the material world. In His domain, all is and ever shall be perfect. The universe is His domain. Therefore all this suffering has meaning, and we discover the deepest meaning of it when we work, motivated only by Love, to alleviate as much of it as we can without enabling weakness. We start by acknowledging our own suffering. We alleviate as much as we can within our realm of control; and we accept the rest as Christ accepted the Cross and Paul accepted the “thorn”--peacefully immersed in Grace. As we allow our suffering to be consumed and transcended in Faith, Hope and especially Love, we are bestowed with the gifts that enable us to alleviate suffering in others—more and more effectively. Peace dawns within us and begins its eternal journey toward the full Light of Day. And Joy bubbles up in little fountains all along the pathway. We still grieve, get frustrated, angry and hurt. We still suffer the perfect decay of the flesh. But we realize that these all arise and fall in the temporary world that we are IN but not OF. We know that they too are woven perfectly into the perfect Living Tapestry of this brief but very important earthly journey.”

At that point, the elder stopped abruptly, clutched his chest, fell to his knees and then to his side. The young man dropped and placed his arm under the elder’s neck. His face was contorted in pain, but just before his soul departed his body, he smiled and winked at the young man.